Agents and Operatives
by KnighteWolfe
Summary: A preview of what is to come. Chapter 4 isn't finished yet but its still being worked on.
1. Chapter 1

_**Totally Spies**_

_**Agents and Operatives**_

_**Chapter One**_

It was a Friday night in Beverly Hills and Sam, Alex, and Clover were relaxing in the hot tub at their villa. The trio had just gotten in from another WOOHP mission and was wondering what to do after they tended to their numerous bruises. Alex sighed as the warm water caressed her aching body. This mission had given her more than her usual collection of bumps and bruises due to the fact that her two friends had used her as the bait in a trap to catch the bad guy du jour. Unfortunately the bad guy in question had no compunction in fighting down and dirty with a trained spy of her caliber. Opening her eyes, the caramel skinned beauty glanced at her friends. In her bid to outdo her obnoxious rival Mandy, Clover was busy on the phone chatting with her latest boy toy. From the words she was hearing, Alex figured out that Clover was trying to get the guy in question to take her to Beverly Hills' hottest new teen night club. Shifting her eyes from the blond bombshell to her left to the red-haired brainiac to her right, Alex saw that Sam was busy trying to get ahead in her advanced chemistry class. The tapping of Sam's nails on her laptop was beginning to grate on Alex's nerves. Deciding not to call her friends and fellow spies on the carpet about the less than cavalier treatment she had received at the hands of the senior bad guy, Alex climbed out of the hot tub and dried herself off. Wrapping a towel around her lithe body, Alex wondered again why compared to her friends, she didn't have the curves the other two had. Granted she did have some of her own curves and usually received a fair amount of guy attention, but Alex knew that to some guys she was more of the good looking athletic girlfriend than the drop dead gorgeous Clover, and the smart and sexy Sam. Lost in thought, Alex didn't hear Clover finish her conversation and call out to her.

Feeling just a bit put out and wanting to get away from the others for a bit, Alex went upstairs and flopped onto her bed. Flipping over on her back, the eighteen year old super spy gazed at the ceiling. Making a decision, Alex went to her dresser grabbed a pair of panties and a bra and put them on. Walking over to her closet, she opened the door and scanned the many fashionable outfits before picking a short dress. With her outfit chosen, Alex went back to her dresser and pulled open the second drawer from the bottom. Reaching in, she pulled out a pair of black spandex leggings and slid them over her coltish legs. Once the leggings were on, she donned the dress and went searching along the floor of her closet for a matching pair of high-heeled shoes. Choosing the pair that went with her outfit the best, she returned downstairs. Entering the living room, Alex grabbed a set of keys from the wall hanging key holder. With keys in hand, Alex walked over to the lanai where the hot tub was situated and let the others know she was going out for a bit.

"Where ya going, Alex?", asked Sam as she looked up from her work.

"Out for awhile. I need to get away for a bit. This last mission took more out of me than I thought it would."

"If you wait, we'll all go together.", chimed in Clover as she held the phone away from her ear.

"Nah, I'll be fine by myself. I'll take the car and maybe go for a short drive.", stated Alex as she turned away from the hot tub.

"Okay. Be careful and remember to take your x-powder with you. You never know when Jerry will call us for another mission. Hopefully the bad guys won't start anything else tonight."

"Alright Sam, I'll remember.", said Alex while vowing to leave the accursed thing on her dresser. She didn't want to be disturbed while clearing her thoughts.

Waving by to the two girls still in the tub, hot tub, Alex headed for the garage door. Entering the garage, she reached out

with her left hand and turned on the lights while simultaneously hitting the button to raise the garage door. Once the light had come on, Alex looked at the car parked in the car. The car in question was one of Jerry's WOOHP specials. Grimacing, Alex remembered that she would have to deactivate the tracking device mounted in the car. Opening the door, she adjusted the driver's seat for her comfort.

_**"Geez, Sam must've been the last one to drive this thing. I'm nowhere near her height and Clover's adjustments are almost the same as mine.",** thought the five foot nine beauty as she climbed into the vehicle and pressed the button that adjusted the seat for her comfort. _

Ten minutes later, Alex was blasting down the highway in the sporty coupe with the top down and the evening wind rushing through her short black hair. When she reached the street in front of The Groove-the hottest mall in Bev Hills- Alex slowed down and checked out the scene. As usual the place was packed. Alex acknowledged several of her classmates from Beverly High as she cruised through the parking lot. Deciding to skip stopping at the mall, Alex continued on down the road. Twenty minutes later, she saw her destination.

Alex's destiny for the evening was a little hole in the wall-esque club that she had frequented before, usually when she had a lot on her mind and was able to scam some time away from Clover and Sam. The well-dressed bouncer recognized her and passed her through the door with only a cursory glance at her fake ID card (procured from GLADIS for a small to be decided later favor). As Alex entered the club, she heard the sound of fast approaching motorcycles. Turning to see if she recognized the bikers, Alex saw a trio of Triumph Sprint 1050's. The first Triumph was gleaming metallic silver that sparkled in the moonlight. The next bike in line was a Fire-engine red that she thought matched the color of Clover's one-piece spy suit. The last and best looking bike in Alex's opinion was a brilliant Calypso Blue. The rider of this last bike caught her attention because he wore a Lapis Lazuli polo shirt and black slacks that mimicked the blue custom paint job of his full face helmet. The teenager waited half a second for the three riders to doff their protective helmets before entering the building. Alex wanted her usual drink (frozen peach daiquiri with a strawberry twist) and a seat close to the dance floor so she could scope out the guys. Once inside the club proper, Alex stopped by the bar and got her drink before heading for one of the empty tables out the outskirts of the black marble dance floor. Looking out onto the dance floor as she circled the room, Alex saw that it was about half full with a nearly even percentage of guys and girls dancing. Easing into her chosen seat, Alex started to relax and let the dulcet tones of Sade's 'Sweetest Taboo' take her mind off of her day.

Outside, the three bikers Alex had observed outside were having a discussion. The tallest of the trio at six foot two and a half inches tall, Dominic Calvin James (D.C. to his partners) was griping. His two friends: Five foot eleven inches, brown haired and pale skinned Sean Matthew Lyons and six feet even and tanned skinned and blonde Justin Timothy Bolan listened as they walked to the entrance of the club.

"Dammit, why did J-dawg and Trigger Zero have us move up here to Beverly Hills? We were doing fine down in San Diego. We knew a lot of people and had all of our safe houses set up and ready. Up here we've got nada. To top it all off, we're going to be going to Beverly High for school? Didn't we use to demolish them in baseball each year? I know we beat them on a regular basis in soccer.", groused DC.

"Cool it D.C., you know that the bossman was a bit worried after that last job. I think she went to J-Dawg and asked him to pull us out. We made a lot of enemies out of the tangos on that last one. Especially since we didn't hit the target.", stated Sean as he brushed a piece of non-existant lint off of his light apricot-colored sport coat and white slacks.

"Hehehe, Sean; DC is just pissed that his AR-10 and his 6.8 SPC AR-15 haven't made it too our new place yet. You know how anxious he is when he can't rezero his two babies immediately after a move. I'm just happy that we have a respectable sized house now. The last few places have been kind of cramped and we've had to put the majority of our stuff in a high security storage facility vetted by J-Dawg.", joked Justin as they paid their cover charge.

D. C. grumbled a bit more then calmed down and assumed his usual look of studied indifference as he ran a hand through his short curly black hair. Tuning his two buddies out, the eighteen year old scoped out the club and approved of what he saw. The place had a modern classy look with a thick burgundy carpet surrounding the black marble dance floor with dark colored hardwood tiles marking out the walkways. The tables ranged in height from taller tables with granite tops to average height tables with black onyx inlaid alabaster tops supported by thick iron legs with decorative patterns wound into them. With another nod of approval DC brought his attention back to his two friends just as J.T. changed the topic.

"Speaking of J-Dawg, I heard a rumor from some of the guys back at the home office that J-Dawg's three best operators live in Beverly Hills in their own Villa. I also heard from Big Luce that all three are smoking hot. I can't wait to meet them and show them what I can do."

"What about Colleen J.T.? I thought that the two of you were weeks away from an engagement.", commented Matt.

"Nah, we broke up after I caught her with one of your football teammates, Matt. It wasn't pretty. The locker room was a mess when I confronted him.", replied J.T. as he took a swig from his Pina Colada.

"Yeah, I heard about that. He had what: a broken jaw, a shattered leg, a seriously bruised arm, and a cracked rib? You did quite a number on him and all you got was a black eye?", asked D.C. as he hooked a chair with the toe of one size fifteen boot.

J.T., nodded as he took his seat across from Matt and together all three turned their attention to the dance floor as the music started to speed up with a decidedly Latin beat.

Back at the villa, Sam and Clover were kicking back on the couches in the family room. Sam had her head in a romance novel she had been trying to read for the past few weeks. Dressed in a pair of light blue and white lounging pants with a teal blue tank top t-shirt, Sam's red hair stood out in a marked contrast. At a willowy five foot eleven inches, Samantha was the tallest of the spies. Sam was also a slight bit more full-figured than either of her two friends. Often described as willowy, Sam was more than just a full-figured teenager, she was also extremely bright. Keeping a 4.0 GPA, Sam was always in one of the top three spots on the honor roll at Bev High. Not one to just show off her book smarts, Sam was also street smart. Even though that there was no 'official' leader of the spies, Sam often found herself taking a leadership position on missions on behalf of Jerry and WOOHP.

On the other end of the spectrum, feisty blonde Clover was a study in contrasts. Intelligent enough to be on the honor roll, Clover was also very in tune with the 'in-style' crowd. When not on a mission with Alex and Sam, Clover was always on the lookout for ways to one up her main rival, Mandy. It seems that the Mandy/Clover rivalry had been going on since before middle school and wasn't just concentrated on one aspect of their lives. Clover and Mandy competed in anything and everything. Standing a petite five foot eight, Clover always wanted to be the first one through the door in any mission. Sometimes this led to a somewhat bull-in-a-china-shoppish state of mind. At the moment, Clover was wearing dark pink shorts with one of her cheerleader t-shirts. She was also painting her toe and fingernails in a soft shade of yellow that was somewhat muted for her very sunny disposition.

"Hey Sam where'd Alex go? I thought she said she was just going to go for a drive?", asked Clover as she finished her nails and leaned back to appreciate her handiwork.

"I dunno, Clover. She said she was going out for a bit. I can't blame her though; we did use her pretty badly this time around."

"Yeah, I know but to go just for a drive dressed as she is, I don't believe a drive was all she intended. Maybe we should call her and see if she's alright."

Sam put down her book and sighed; Alex wanted to be left alone. That much was apparent to Sam and she respected Alex's privacy enough to not intrude on her solitude. Now Sam knew that she was going to have to dissuade Clover from doing the same thing. Though, before she could start in on her dissuasion tactics, the compact sitting on the end table went off. Happy to have any excuse to change the subject, Sam motioned Clover over as she activated the communication device. The small mirror projected a holographic image of a distinguishably balding older man with a precisely trimmed mustache. Once the image stabilized, the man started to speak; his upper crust English accent coming through the small speaker clearly.

"Hello spies. I hope that the three of you were not badly hurt during this last mission."

"Hi Jerry. How are things at headquarters? The bruises were nothing compared to what could have happened if we hadn't stopped the bad guy. We're alright.", answered Sam.

Sitting at the large desk in his office at WOOHP headquarters, Jerry looked at the monitor and noticed that only two of his well-trained super spies were there. Wondering where the third was, he asked the two on the screen. Clover answered.

"Oh, Alex left earlier and went for a drive. She said that she wanted to get away for a bit. The last mission took a lot out of her. Frankly, we don't blame her. Alex did get used pretty badly and was handcuffed to a table for the last half of the mission."

Jerry agreed with Clover's words. Using Alex as the bait hadn't been his idea but they needed a way to distract the enemy while Sam and Clover had found a way to disable and destroy the criminals' doomsday machine. Pushing that out of his mind for the time being, the head of WOOHP came to the reason whey he called.

"Okay Sam, Clover; when Alex returns home later inform her that starting on Monday the three of you will need to come to headquarters after school so you can get some further training. One of WOOHP's smaller divisions has made a request for your services. They've asked me to allow their best three operatives to train against you to test their teamwork and see if they are fully recovered from their last mission. Just like you they had a rough mission in and of their own.", stated Jerry as he looked at two of his agents.

Sam had unconsciously shook her head in commiseration as she listened to her boss explain about the highlights of the other mission. In a corner of her mind reserved for spy activities, she was already planning different scenarios for the upcoming training session with fellow agents. Wondering what Jerry could tell her about their exercise opponents that wouldn't violate the serious security of WOOHP she asked for specifics on the other agents and the division they worked for. In his office, Jerry looked over his monitor at the middle-aged woman wearing a grey business suit and leaning against the wall. The head of the division had been listening to the conversation going on but not in range of the sensors that would have sent her image over the link to the spies. In her division it was a termination offense if security were breached in a careless manner. Besides it would have been bad tradecraft and her trio of experts would have laughed. Shaking her head in answer to Jerry's unasked question, Natasha curtly informed the head of the organization that he couldn't give his agents more information about her division. Jerry hated the answer but agreed to her request.

As head of the international spy agency known as WOOHP, Jerry knew the name of every division under his command and often received information and reports from each department head. However, out of the numerous agents that made up his organization, Jerry knew that the woman in his office was one of the deadliest agents in the agency. With numerous highly classified operations under her belt, she was the most successful agent in her division. When she had retired from the field upon reaching the age of forty-four, Natasha Michelle Simonov had been promoted to run the division she been a field operative for with Jerry's blessing. Under her command, her division had racked up several successes that had befuddled other field agents. Loyal to WOOHP without question, Natasha's division retained a sense of autonomy that was unquestioned by other department heads.

"Sorry Sam, due to the stringent security measures here I cannot give you any specifics on the agents you'll be training against except to tell you that they are the top operatives in their field just like you and the others are the top in yours. That will have to be enough for you to start your planning."

"We understand the security Jerry and won't allow it to affect us in any way. When Alex returns, I'll pass on the news. Thanks for telling us this Jer."

"You're welcome girls. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you more but I have every confidence that you will excel at your training as you have done to date. Talk to you later girls."

Sam and Clover acknowledged their boss before closing the link and discussing what they had been told. At headquarters, Jerry glanced at Natasha in resignation. He knew exactly what division Natasha worked for and couldn't tell his spies about. Natasha and her three operatives were a part of the WOOHP DLJ Division; often pronounced among those in the know as the 'DILJO' division.

"Natasha, you know how I hate keeping anyone in this organization uninformed about things, especially those three. Sam, Alex, and Clover have saved the world and this organization on numerous occasions. If they keep up their work and stay with WOOHP, those three have the chance to become greater than either of us and their predecessors. As it is, they are guaranteed a spot in the WOOHP Hall of Fame when they retire from the field like you did."

"I'm sorry Jerry but that is the way it has to be. You are the one who wrote up the rules and regulations when forming the DLJ Division. In the course of one of our missions, we see more disturbing things that we can't share with other agents. It would spoil the good that this organization does if it were found out by others that the initials for my division stand for 'Dirty Little Jobs'. We in the DILJO division do what we have to do because no one else will. I requested those three because I want to put them in situations where they would have to make the decisions that others have made before them. If they do well in this training, it opens the door for joint operations between DLJ and the other divisions.", answered Natasha in a cool voice.

Jerry grunted his displeasure but knew she was right. He too wondered if either of his spies could do what the operatives for DLJ do every mission. This experiment had been attempted earlier with the spies' predecessors but it hadn't gone well. Now with the things he was hearing from the DLJ's intelligence operatives, it had become time for this to be tried again.

_**"Maybe this time one of my spies will be able to make the decision needed. Maybe either Alex, Clover, or Sam can make the hardest of all decisions and not be affected.",** thought Jerry._

Natasha saw her boss grappling with the dilemma at hand and remembered that in his prime, Jerry was considered to be the absolute deadliest WOOHP agent ever. His record on DLJ missions (what part of it was unclassified enough) was considered to be unreachable. Even now, as the head of WOOHP, many considered him to still be able to pull a trigger or slide a stiletto into somebody's back. Compared to Jerry's record, Natasha's record was nowhere near. However, Natasha knew that her three operatives could be the ones to reach and surpass that pinnacle. To equal or even surpass Jerry's DLJ mission record would put them as the all time most deadly operatives in the annals of their organization for peace.

Dusting off her skirt before rising to her feet, Natasha made ready to leave Jerry's office. Seeing that the boss had rotated his chair to face the viewscreen behind his desk, she guessed that Jerry was reliving some of the things he had to do in pursuit of peace as an operative for WOOHP. Deciding to go ahead and make her departure, Natasha made it to the door before a cleared throat and the sound of Jerry's chair brought her up short. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Jerry was about to say something.

"Natasha, if anything happens to my three super spies in this training, I will hold you and your three operatives responsible and take appropriate action.", stated Jerry in a glacial cold voice.

"I know Jerry, I know. I wouldn't expect anything else."

Natasha shivered uncomfortably as she saw the look in Jerry's eyes that promised what that action would be. Jerry turned his chair back around and waved her away. Once Natasha was gone, he slumped in his chair and went over his mental files of his three spies to see which one, if any of them could do what he knew the DLJ expected when the time came. Sam and Clover came up in his minds eye and he shuddered at what the decision would do to them if they had to make it. Halfway through his mental information on Alex, Jerry knew that without a doubt, Alex would do what was required if she was the one to make the decision. It would affect her as it would affect anyone, but with her personality, Alex would suffer for only a bit before returning to her usual self. At that point, Jerry vowed that if there was ever a mission that would require the decision to take a life to be made by his spies, he would give the choice to Alex to make. Sighing in resignation and hoping that that time and mission would never come, Jerry reached behind him to one of the lower drawers of his desk and opened it. Without looking, he reached in and pulled out a small still full bottle of whiskey and a glass. Pouring a little bit in the glass, he hoisted the glass to his face and eyed the low level of booze and let his mind think back to his younger days.

"GLADIS, may those three get through this training and never have to face that what could tear them apart mentally.", muttered Jerry.

**_"And to the hope that if Alex ever has to make that decision, there will be somebody there to help her through it other than her friends."_**

With a quick toss of his hand, Jerry tossed the shot down his throat and winced. Returning the bottle and glass to their place, the head of WOOHP ran his hand over his face and got up from his chair. Turning towards the small door that lead to his apartment, Jerry decided to get some sleep before facing another day. As he entered his living space, Jerry wondered where Alex was at that moment and what was going through her head.

While Jerry was wondering, the person he was wondering about was having a ball. Alex had been at the club for about three hours and was enjoying herself immensely. She was on her third daiquiri and had been on the dance floor a few times. With all the training and athletics Alex did, her lithe toned body had surpassed the energy of her dance partners and they had all stepped away from the whirlwind. Now taking a breather and letting her feet rest for a bit, Alex was watching some of the other patrons of the nightspot and seeing how their energy would compare to her own. Three guys off to her right had caught Alex's attention as their energy reserves kept them moving as they danced with multiple partners. Every so often, one of the three would stroll over to the bar and bring back more refreshment for his two buddies. Deciding to test one of the guys she had been watching to see if he could keep up, Alex waited until the next time one of them headed for the bar. This time the tall one in the blue shirt and black pants was the runner. Rising to her feet and making her way in his general direction, she timed it so that she arrived at the bar a couple of seconds after he did. Tapping him on the shoulder, Alex waited for the fellow to turn and face her before saying anything.

It was his turn to get the drinks and D.C. was a bit relieved to get away from the girls who had been dancing with him and his friends. To him they were like every other club girl he had met; clingy, superficial, and after a time a bit annoying. All they could do was chatter aimlessly about subjects that had no interest to him but he feigned his interest just to make them feel okay. As he went to retrieve the next round of refreshment, D.C.'s trained eyes roamed over the ground cataloging every person in his line of sight as either a threat or not. Most of the people in the room were of no threat to him and his partners so he immediately discarded them from his mental list. A few of the hard cases who kept looking at him took in the calm grey eyes and the blatant 'don't even think about messing with me and my buddies' scowl and soon found their attention was devoted elsewhere. Midway across the room, Dominic caught a look of cool interest from a set of soft onyx eyes framed by a brown-skinned face atop an athletic body wrapped in a short dress, black spandex leggings with closed toe heels. Intrigued by the interest shown, D.C. made a mental note to keep an eye on her. His consciousness was telling him that it was because she could pose a threat but his subconscious-ness disagreed and told him that his interest was more because of her looks.

Watching her rise from her seat, D.C. shifted from casually watching to threat assessment and observation. Once he arrived at the bar, he got the bartenders' attention while letting his senses inform him where in the room the girl was. While he was giving the busy bartender his order, his highly attuned senses let him know that the watchful woman had arrived at the bar. When the expected tap on his shoulder came, D.C. turned around and subtly raised himself up on the balls of his feet, ready to defend himself if needed.

"Yes?"

Alex had watched the man turn and her trained eyes caught his subtle balance shift and wondered what had brought about that. Hearing his voice, she cleared her head and continued on with what she had planned while showing him what she hoped was a non-threatening posture. Up close, Alex could see that the guy was taller than her and looked to be in even better shape than she had first guessed. At least he wasn't one of the muscle bound guys who spent more time flexing than talking. Clearing her suddenly tight throat, Alex went into her spiel.

"Excuse me, I've been watching you and noticed that you seem to have a lot of energy. I wonder if you would care to dance with me for a bit.", asked Alex.

Upon hearing the young lady, D.C. had relaxed and shifted to patient awareness. She just wanted to dance. Obviously, this girl had been observing him and his partners and wondered if either of them was possessed of enough stamina to keep up with her. He chuckled a bit and sized her up. She seemed fit enough and he had watched her dance many of the other guys in the club into the ground. D.C. decided to humor her and submit to her test. Besides, she looked cute.

"Sure, no problem. Let me just get these drinks over to my friends and I'll see you on the dance floor. Before I do that though I would like to know your name.", he answered as the bartender returned with the drinks he had ordered.

"Oh, I'm sorry my name is Alex."

"My name is Dominic but you can call me D.C."

Alex nodded and watched as D.C. strolled towards his friends. Stopping a few feet away from the bar, he turned back in her direction and nodded his head in the direction of the table where J.T. and Sean were, indicating that she should follow him. Inwardly cheering herself on but outwardly calm, Alex followed him to the table and met his friends and the quartet of girls who were there. Immediately feeling the hostile glances cast her way by the other females, Alex ignored them and concentrated on meeting D.C.'s friends. Dominic had watched Alex's reaction to the girls at the table and had approved when she didn't react to their frowns. Placing the drinks on the table in front of his friends, D.C. joked in a supercilious waiter voice.

"Here is another Pina Colada for you kind sir. A Strawberry Margarita for your friend here, and a Raspberry Avalanche Twist for myself. Now if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I have been asked by this lovely young lady to adjourn to the dance floor where we can show each other our entire repertoire."

J.T. and Sean cracked up as they watched D.C give a short bow and offer the lady an arm. Alex smiled and gave a short curtsy to let them know that she caught the joke. Accepting the arm, she let her new found dance partner escort her to the dance floor. Back at the table, J.T. and Sean hung out and entertained the women gathered around their table. Turning their attention from D.C. and Alex, the two guys started talking to each other about the school they were going to start attending on Monday. That conversation continued until J.T.'s cell phone rang. Sean watched as his friend answered. Figuring that it was a call from one of J.T.'s old flames, he was a bit surprised when his blonde friend stiffened and schooled his face into an emotionless mask. Sean had a feeling he knew the identity of the caller on the other end of the line. Only one person could cause that sort of reaction in all three of them whenever she called. Raising an eyebrow, Sean's unasked question was answered when J.T. gave one quick nod. Taking a sip from his drink to cover his reaction from the intoxicated guests at their table, he cast his eyes in the direction of the couple on the dance floor. Getting a negative shake of the head, he relaxed a bit since it seemed that whatever was being said meant that there was no mission scheduled for the three of them this night.

On the dance floor, oblivious to the interplay going on at the table, D.C. was having fun. Alex had tested his stamina a few times with nonstop movements to some of the faster songs being played by the deejay and he had easily kept up with her without pressing himself. Now as he studied the girl in front of him, D.C. somehow knew that she was setting up for a really fast paced song to push him to his limits to see if he had actually been worth dancing with. He was of two minds of this. His first thoughts were that she was pretty impressive and was in very good condition. A separate part of his mind had taken into account her slim athletic figure and deduced that Alex was a soccer player like himself. Deciding to see if he was right, D.C. let his body move with the new up-tempo beat and asked a question.

"Which position do you play midfield, goalie, striker, or defender? I'm a midfielder myself."

Alex had been so intent on studying her dancing partner that the question, asked without any hint of lost breath, almost made her stop. Still moving and changing her own movements, she wondered how he had figured that out.

"It's something in your body movements that gives it away. I guess soccer players move differently on the dance floor than other athletes. I only noticed it because I play as well.", answered D.C. with a carefree shrug of his shoulders.

"I see, well if you really want to know, I play midfield for Beverly High on the girls varsity team.", stated Alex.

"Hmm, Beverly High; J.T., Sean, and I will be starting there on Monday. Like I said earlier, our job brought us up here and our parents figured that it would be best if the three of us lived together while we attended school. Our boss agreed and our company bought us a house. The three of us have only been in town for a few days so some of our co-workers furnished the house for us while we transferred all our stuff up here. Tonight will be our first night in the new place. Tomorrow we plan on starting the grill and hanging out for a bit with our boss and co-workers in sort of a house warming party. You and your friends are invited if you want to.", said D.C.

Alex thought for a minute. She'd have to talk to Sam and Clover about the invitation when she returned home. Hopefully Jerry wouldn't need them for a mission for the next few days. Thinking for a few minutes more, Alex figured that a barbeque would be a great way for the three of them to let relax a little bit more from this latest mission. She also guessed that if she came home way late, Sam and Clover would forgive her when she told them about meeting D.C. and his friends.

_**"Knowing Clover the way I do, she would jump at the chance to meet some new guys. Especially when she finds out that they'd be starting at our school on Monday. Anything that would give her a leg up against Mandy, makes Clover extremely satisfied.", **thought Alex._

As she continued with her train of thought, another part of her mind mentally compared D.C. and his friends to each other and came up with a decision. No matter what happened with her friends, Alex wanted to know D.C on a whole nother level. Once this realization sunk in, Alex narrowed her eyes for a second and unconsciously vowed to keep between Clover and D.C. Bringing her attention back to the present, she saw that her partner was still waiting patiently for an answer to his invitation.

Dominic watched as various expressions flitted across Alex's face in a matter of seconds and guessed that she was having a mental discussion behind her pretty features. When her pretty eyes narrowed, D.C. shifted into a defensive posture as he continued to move to the music. It only lasted for a second before; Alex saw his stance and realized he was reacting to her involuntarily narrowed eyes. Changing her own stance once again to project a non-threatening aspect, Alex waited for D.C. to shift to a more relaxed position before answering his question.

"I accept the invitation but I'll have to see what my friends say. Even if they decline the invitation, I'll still come. Where is the house that your company bought?", asked Alex as the music and lights around them changed.

"We don't know the exact address but we do know is about seven houses up the block from this beautifully done villa with a lanai out back. When we drove up there to find our house, we passed this villa and noticed that nobody was home. As we left the house to grab a bite to eat before coming here, we passed the villa again and this time saw that the owners had come back and were out on the lanai. Do you know who lives there?", stated D.C. offhandedly.

Alex almost froze; she knew exactly who lived in the house he was describing. D.C. was talking about the villa where she, Clover, Sam lived. Nodding her head in answer to his question, Alex thought back to her time in the hot tub with her friends. She hadn't heard any motorcycles ride past during that time but then she might have been a bit more exhausted than she thought and might've heard them and put the sound out of her mind. Shifting her thoughts to the neighborhood surrounding the villa, she realized that the house D.C. and his friends would be living in was just a short walk up the street from their villa.

"I know that general area pretty well so it shouldn't take me too much time to find your place. Is there anything you'd want my friends and I to bring if they accept your invitation?"

"Nah, we should have everything covered. I'll be doing the one doing the grilling. So just bring your appetite; if your friends decide to come tell them to bring their appetites as well. By the way, is there anything that either you or they don't eat?"

Chuckling at D.C.'s attempt to be politically correct about asking if her, Sam, or Clover were vegetarians; Alex shook her head and grinned.

"If you cook it, then we'll eat it. And that's a promise."

D.C. nodded and mentally revised his shopping list for what he was going to be cooking. He knew that Natasha preferred to eat chicken and vegetables instead of meat but she'd occasionally try venison and she loved grilled fish. D.C. also made sure that there would be at least two giant sized coolers. One of which was going to contain the alcoholic beverages while the other contained stuff, like water, juice, tea, and soda.

_**"I'll have to make sure that we get somebody to play bartender. ",** thought D.C. _

At that moment the music changed from the fast paced dance tunes that had been playing for the last several minutes to something slower and more relaxed. Adapting his movements to the beat in seconds, D.C. slowed down. It took him a half a second more to realize that the song the deejay had just started to play was one of his favorite slow songs of all time. Extending his left hand to Alex with a slight twinkle in his eyes, D.C. indicated that they should show the others on the dance floor how to dance to Sade's 'No Ordinary Love'. After a moment's hesitation, Alex accepted the extended hand and stepped into D.C.'s arms. In the instant their bodies touched, a lightly electrifying impulse flowed through them and connected them on a much higher plateau. Looking into the soft grey eyes with her black ones, Alex could tell that Dominic had felt the connection himself. Alex could also tell that he had seen that she had felt the connection as well. Wondering what this meant, she almost pulled away but something told her to relax into the warm arms now enveloping her.

Across the room J.T. had finished with his phone call and had explained everything to Sean. Informing him that J-Dawg had accepted Natasha's request, he turned towards the dance floor and started to raise his arm to get D.C.'s attention. He stopped when he saw what was transpiring on the dance floor. Catching a confused and question glance from Sean; he jerked his head towards the couple.

"I do think that Dominic is on the brink of falling hard for this girl."

"What makes you say that, Justin?", asked Sean as he wriggled out from under the girl languidly draped over his arm.

"Take a look out there and tell me what you see. Last time I saw that emotion on his face was when D.C. started going with Sheila Price.

Sean winced, that had been a bad one. After Sheila and Dominic had broken up, It had taken both Sean,J.T. and almost all the off duty operatives of the WOOHP Dirty Little Jobs Division to keep D.C. from going after Sheila's new boyfriend. D.C. had been so furious that Jerry had immediately sent them on a grueling search and destroy mission with the least amount of information. That had been successful in diverting Dominic's fury from the innocent guy to a guilty target. Although the end of that mission was a bit more than either Sean or J.T. had anticipated.

When they were on termination missions; Sean was the knife expert, J.T. was the pistol expert, while D.C. was the team sniper. On that mission, D.C. had followed their target to one of his safe houses and had used his handgun to kill the target from point blank range with one shot to the targets' head from less than three feet away. J.T. and Sean had had to crash their getaway car into the house in order to grab their friend and escape. In the process the trio ended up wiping out the targets' organization. Publicly, Jerry had praised them and awarded them medals. Privately he had chewed Dominic out for acting rashly and nearly ending the lives of innocents. D.C. had taken the lecture without a hint of emotion and that had worried Natasha. Once Jerry had finished disciplining D.C., she had taken the team off active status and sent them on a vacation to relax. Shaking off the memory, Sean glanced at his watch and saw that it was nearing three in the morning.

"Hey Justin, go and remind Mr. Smooth Operator that we need him to be wide-eyed and bushy-tailed when he's working the grill tomorrow. I'd rather not have to deal with a burnt double cheese and bacon burger because he's half-asleep.", commented Sean as he straightened up.

J.T. agreed and both boys made their excuses and apologies to those still gathered around their table and made their way towards the pair. As they approached the two, the deejay announced that it was getting close to closing time and that the bartenders were setting up for their 'last call' orders. In front of his two friends, Dominic and Alex were still moving with the music sharing an unexplained but growing connection. Dominic's well trained ears were already attuned to the footsteps of his partners through long years of training and their lasting friendship. Just as they knew Dominic's size fifteen footsteps, he knew when the twelve and a half inch long feet of J.T. and the thirteen inch feet of Sean stepped from the deep carpet to the marble dance floor and was able to follow their route without looking. He waited till the music crescendoed to its coda before slowly stepping back from his partner.

Alex was confused, why was he stepping away from her? For some unknown reason the spy felt bereft of a familiar warmness she had only felt once or twice before. Now watching D.C. walk away, she felt a little lost. Trying to stop that train of thought, Alex brought her wrist up to where she could check the time. At first the numbers didn't gel into her subconsicousness, and then her mind focused on the watch hands again.

"Oh shit! It's three in the morning. Ohmigawd, Sam and Clover are going to kill me! I didn't plan on being out this late!", exclaimed Alex as she started to rush off.

Before she took two steps, Alex felt a hand grasp her wrist, turned and found herself looking into D.C.'s stormy grey eyes. Understanding the unspoken question, Alex told Dominic that she would be at the barbeque the next day and would invite her friends. Dominic watched as Alex dashed out of the club. He sighed and turned to his buddies. Sean and J.T. looked at him with looks of commiseration. J.T. patted D.C. on the back as they headed for the door to the dismay of the girls still in the club.

"D.C., at least you found an interesting girl tonight. Both Sean and I struck out. None of the ladies at out table were remotely interesting. ", stated Justin as they left the club and walked into the cool evening.

Making their way over to their bikes, the trio pulled out their keys. When he arrived at his bike, Sean inserted his key in the ignition. Picking up the helmet that matched his red bike, he put it on and opened the face shield before turning to J.T. J.T. pulled his bike off its stand and turned his key to the start position before making sure his transmission was in neutral. Squeezing the clutch with his left hand, J.T. used his right thumb to hit the starter switch. As he was twisting his throttle to idle his engine, J.T. heard D.C.'s bike start. Looking back at Sean, he saw that his friend in the red helmet was starting his bike.

Soon all three Sprints were idling in unison. Each triple-cylinder bike blasting out its own burble unique to each of their owners. With one last glance at each other, the three riders toed the bikes into first gear, added some gas and took off down the road.

Meanwhile, back at the spies' villa, Sam was sitting on the couch with the lights dimmed. She wasn't happy that her friend was as late as she presently was. It was a mutual agreement between the three that if either of them went out on their own, they were to be back by a certain time. Usually, Alex was the most punctual and was often the one sitting in Sam's place in the chair facing the door with her arms crossed.

In place of her usual smile, there was a frown on Sam's face. She had been expecting Alex to pull up and enter the house at a quarter after two in the morning. Hearing the familiar sound of the car, Sam got up and made her way to the door that led from the house into the garage and waited. As she pulled into the garage, Alex saw that the living room lights were still on but not as bright as they usually were. Remembering how Clover usually tried to sneak in when she was late, Alex turned the headlights off and cut the engine. Using momentum, she coasted the vehicle into its place in the garage before slowly and quietly applying the brakes to bring the car to a silent stop. Taking the key out of the ignition and undoing her seatbelt, Alex opened the car door as slowly and quietly as she could. Once she was out of the car, she gently closed it so that it wouldn't make a loud noise when it hit its latches. Reaching down, she undid the straps of her shoes and slid her feet out of them.

Carrying her shoes in her hand, Alex made her way to the interior garage door. Before she put her hand on the knob she turned off the garage light and closed the garage door, hoping that neither Clover nor Sam could hear it closing. Once the garage door was closed, the teen entered the house. So intent on not waking anyone up, Alex didn't notice Sam standing right across the hallway.

Sam stood silently and watched as Alex surreptitiously eased the door closed and locked it. Leaning against the wall with her arms still crossed over her chest, she waited till Alex thought she had gotten in without waking anyone. Seeing the relieved grin on Alex's face, she cleared her throat.

Alex was feeling giddy, she had made it home and into the house without making too much noise. Letting a celebratory relieved grin cross her face she started to make her way towards the stairs and her bedroom. She hadn't gone two steps when she heard Sam clear her throat. Whirling around to see if it was Clover (the usual night owl), Alex froze when she recognized Sam's red hair and five foot eleven inch height.

"Ahh, Sam I can explain.", started Alex but the other girl cut her off.

"You're waay late, Alex. Your explanation better be a good one and it better not be that the car broke down.", snapped Sam.

"The car is fine it's just that I got to having such a good time that I lost track of time. I meant to call…."

"No you didn't. You didn't take your x-powder even after I specifically told you to take it. I bet you'd planned to leave it here from the beginning.", Sam stated as she again cut Alex off.

Meekly nodding her head, Alex allowed Sam to chastise her for not following procedure. She hoped that her friend would run out of steam soon but it didn't look like she was going to live this down for awhile. Resigning herself to the lecture, Alex jerked her head around when her friend and fellow spy mentioned their boss.

"I see that got your attention, Alex. Now do you understand the reasoning behind taking your x-powder with you whenever you go out?"

"Forget about the x-powder lesson. I've heard it too many times already. What did Jerry say when he called?"

Sam sighed, she knew she was being a bit harsh but the girl had to realize that if the call from Jerry had been about a mission, they would have been down a third of their strength. And that would be the difference in winning or losing to their enemies and opponents. Deciding to let the lecture drop, she told Alex that Jerry had informed them to be at WOOHP Headquarters after school on Monday for their training with some other agents from another division. When Alex nodded her understanding about the training scheduled for Monday afternoon, Sam started to let her go but then asked how and why her time conscious friend had lost track of time.

"Oh, I met three really cute guys at the club I went to and ended up dancing most of the night away with one of them.", answered Alex.

Before she could go into further detail there was the sound of bare feet slapping against the stairs as they came down in a hurry. When Sam looked at Alex and shook her head, Alex knew what she was thinking.

_**"That's our Clover for us. Whenever she hears the words cute and boys in the same sentence, she rushes to find out more. Even completely asleep and upstairs, she heard me say the magic words and here she is."**, thought Alex while trying to stifle a grin. _

A sleepy -but alert- Clover came around the corner and looked blearily at her two friends. Looking from one to the other she tried to find out which of them had said the words that caught her attention.

"Did somebody say cute boys? I thought I heard somebody say cute boys. Oh hi Alex, why are you so late in getting home?", asked Clover as she yawned.

Sam giggled while Alex grinned. That simple statement from their friend told them what state of mind she was in. Glancing at Sam, Alex went ahead and restarted her story. It took longer to tell than it should have because Clover kept asking questions about the guys Alex had met. Finally, exhausted and sleepy she snapped at Clover.

"_If Ya Wanna Find Out More About Them, Just Ask Them Tomorrow!"_

Sam and Clover looked at each other. Tomorrow, what was going on tomorrow? This was something new that Alex was getting to. Sam asked Alex about it.

"Because D.C. invited me and my friends to their house, they're having a cookout and D.C. is the one doing the cooking?"

"A cookout, why a cookout?", asked Clover.

"Yeah, why a barbeque, Alex?", repeated Sam.

Alex sighed; she really wanted to get out of her clothes and go to bed. She wanted to be wide awake when she saw Dominic at the barbeque.

"Because, their bosses and co-workers are having a house warming party for them, is that all? Are you gonna go with me or are you gonna to stay here? Tomorrow's an off day and we can fully enjoy it.", said Alex as she watched the other two for reactions.

Sam and Clover looked at each other and in that millisecond glance, a wealth of information passed between them. Before they could say anything, Alex added what she thought was the kicker.

"Oh and Clover, D.C. and his friends will be starting at Beverly High on Monday. If you want to get the jump on Mandy in getting to know these guys a bit better you might want to come."

_**"As long as you leave D.C. alone that is, Clover. He's going to be mine and I'm not sharing him with anybody."**, came the sudden and unbidden vicious thought to Alex's mind. _

As she had expected, Alex saw a new light come into Clover's sleepy eyes. Standing on Clover's right side, Sam saw that Alex was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. Stepping in before Clover could ask another question, she took a hold of Alex's shoulder and gently propelled her towards the stairs while telling her to go and get some sleep. Alex sleepily muttered a reply and trudged in the direction of the stairs.

Once in her bedroom, Alex undid her dress and slid out of it leaving her wearing only the leggings and her bra. Placing her thumbs inside the waistband of the form-fitting spandex, the long-limbed teen pushed them down her legs, wiggling from side to side as she did so. Once the leggings had puddled at her feet, she stepped out of the pile and made her way to her dresser. A third of the way their, the five foot nine teen stumbled. Deciding that she could sleep in her present attire this once, Alex changed direction and fumbled her way to her bed. Upon reaching her full-sized bed, Alex dropped her underwear attired body on top of the fluffy comforter her mom had sent her awhile back. Crawling towards her trio of pillows, Alex yawned again and slid her body underneath the whimsically decorated sheets. Once she had burrowed under her sheets to her satisfaction, Alex reached out and hit the remote light switch and the gaily decorated room was drenched in darkness. The only light showing was a dim soccer ball night light. One of the last thoughts Alex had before she drifted off in the arms of Mr. Sandman was whether or not she should wear her swimsuit of a pair of shorts and a tank top to the barbeque tomorrow.

It was a pretty day and the three WOOHP operatives were taking it all in stride. J.T. was sweeping the back deck where the grill was while Sean was setting up the stereo system for the afternoon's entertainment. D.C. had been cleaning off the grill but finished earlier than he thought and left to go downstairs and work on a project of his in their basement work room. The guys weren't expecting their first few guests till after twelve and they knew that there was a ninety percent chance of Natasha showing up first. She usually wanted a moment of their time to reiterate the point about not blowing their covers.

To their peers Dominic Calvin James, Sean Matthew Lyons, and Justin Timothy Bolan were to appear as everyday high school students. That part of their cover was made easier by the fact that the trio was actual high school students. However, under their youthful appearances D.C., J.T., and Sean were members of the WOOHP assassination team 'Foxfire'.

J.T. finished sweeping and wiped the sweat that had gathered on his forehead off with the back of his left hand. Glancing around the backyard, he noticed that the weatherproof speakers in the stained wood gazebo were just starting to come on.

_**"Sean must've gotten everything hooked up early this morning. I know that when we got back from the club last night, the wiring for expanding the stereo system to the gazebo was still scattered around the living room. They were gone when I woke up this morning.", **thought Justin as he put the broom away._

Inside the house, Sean had the stereo on while he was loading up the cd changer with some of their favorite albums. Stretched out on his side in the game room, he was using his eyes to search through the case holding several hundred compact discs. He knew that each of the trio had their own tastes in music. Sean was partial to easy listening music. He liked to think that it helped him study and relax after a mission. Justin like techno and trance music with a bit of Jazz mixed in for relaxation. For Dominic, he had an eclectic taste in music: international, hip hop, classical, gospel, and some reggae and soca thrown in for a touch of the islands. Sean knew that their boss Natasha was a big heavy metal music fan so he had some Guns 'N' Roses and Metallica ready for her. Natasha also was partial to music from her Russian homeland. Even though she spoke nearly accentless English, whenever she was tired her accent thickened. Sometimes it thickened to the point where she was just about indecipherable to everyone around her. Natasha also had a point of slipping into her native language whenever she was angry at Sean and his partners for some screw-up. Fortunately all three members of the Foxfire assassination squad all spoke some dialect of Russian and were able to understand their boss when she got into a rage. In addition to Russian, the guys spoke several different languages fluently. Other languages were spoken conversationally by Sean and his two friends while some languages they only knew a few important phrases.

Bringing his attention back to the job at hand, Sean lifted his head when he heard J.T. come inside. Turning to face him, he asked where their chef was. Justin answered that he didn't know/

"Well, I thought I heard the Audi leaving the garage earlier but I might be mistaken.", shrugged Justin.

"He might have gone to get some more food and beverages for the party. I do know that after he finished with the grill, D.C. went downstairs to the range. I was sure I heard him checking out both his .308 Winchester Magnum and his 6.8 SPC Remington for a bit.", returned Sean.

"Yeah, I heard that too. But I was sure I also heard him testing out some of the new stuff he got the other day. "

Sean nodded then, after placing the last of the chosen music selections in the changer, rose to his feet and dusted off his sweatpants. Deciding to not worry about Dominic, he gave his partner a friendly punch in the shoulder then headed for the stairs so he could jump in the shower before getting ready for the cookout. With a few last words exchanged between them, Justin watched as Sean headed up to get cleaned up and dressed before going towards the den. Dropping onto the couch, he kicked back and looked through the skylight at the blue sky above and let his thoughts drift back to missions long past.

Down the street at the spies' villa Alex had been filled with excitement ever since she had woken up. After eating a hurried breakfast of cereal, orange juice, and a bagel with raspberry jam; the dark haired spy had rushed back upstairs to her room to try and find something to wear. Going through her substantial wardrobe, she began to get a bit frantic because she couldn't find anything to wear. Her curses and grunts of frustration woke up Sam who showed up at the door to Alex's room with a scowl that could cut metal.

"Alex; its eleven in the morning. I know you're anxious to go to the cookout but it's later this afternoon. Can't you wait to find an outfit till then? I'm still a bit sleepy after waiting for you half the damn night. Give it a rest, Alex. You'll see your Prince Charming this afternoon.", yawned Sam.

"Sam, you don't understand. I want to look my best even if it's a just a casual cookout. Besides if you had seen Dominic and his friends you'd be just as anxious as I am. And we're not even going to bring up the anything about Clover if she had been with me last night.", countered Alex with her head still in her closet.

Sam grumbled something under her breath before dropping the subject as a lost cause and wandered away muttering something about 'cute guys and eager beavers' that Alex chose to ignore. Not finding anything in her closet, Alex shifted her search to her dresser. Burrowing through her dresser drawers like a dog digging up a bone, the raven haired teen sent clothes flying in each direction till her usually clean room looked as if a class five hurricane had ripped through it.

Narrowing her eyes and grinding her teeth, Alex heard a fully awake Sam talking to a just awakened Clover in the kitchen. Closing her eyes for a second and calming down, Alex decided to run to the boutique a moment to find just the right outfit. Changing into a pair of teal biker shorts and throwing a black t-shirt over her teal sports bra, Alex grabbed her wallet and slid her feet into a pair of non descript tennis shoes and ran downstairs.

In the kitchen, Sam had just finished talking to Clover about Alex and the cookout when the brown-skinned teen rushed through the kitchen towards the garage, or attempted too. Not fully awake and not paying much attention to the footsteps rushing over the linoleum kitchen tile, Clover stepped over to the refrigerator to grab one of the yogurt containers within when she collided headlong with a rushing Alex. The two tumbled to the floor exchanging exclamations of pain and surprise.

Jumping to her feet after disentangling herself from Clover, Alex muttered a quick apology and continued on her way. Behind her she could her two friends: Clover was cursing while Sam was checking to see if the blonde stretched out on the floor was alright. In the garage, Alex shied away from the keys to the car and passed up grabbing her WOOHP issue motorcycle for the quick ride. Instead she scampered over to the trio of mountain bikes, grabbed hers and was out the garage door ninety seconds after the collision in the kitchen.

Back in the kitchen the bedlam had calmed down a bit. Clover was okay and had picked up the unopened yogurt from where she had dropped it. Fully awake now and with minimal bruises, Clover had opened up the small container and was spooning the first bit of the strawberry-banana yogurt into her mouth. Looking over the breakfast bar at Sam as she sipped her Saturday morning latte, she saw a wry grin on the face of the tall redhead. Clover knew what was going through her friends' mind. There had been many a morning where the situation that had just happened had been reversed with Alex getting knocked over as Clover sprinted out the door.

"Don't say anything, Sam. I know what you're thinking.", Clover grumbled good-naturedly.

Trying to look innocent (and failing, badly), Sam smothered a chuckle that could have quickly grown into an out and out laugh. Finishing her cup, Sam turned to the sink and carefully rinsed out the mug before putting it away. With one last glance at Clover (who was now lost in her own morning thoughts and enjoying her yogurt), Sam headed into the den and flopped down on the couch. Reaching for the remote for the stereo system without looking she crossed her legs at the ankle and turned on the radio. Once it was on and the volume set, she put the remote down on the end table and crossed her arms behind her head. Mentally shifting her mind from what had transpired in the kitchen to more mundane matters. Sam didn't hear Clover go out onto the back porch with her yogurt.

Across town at the Groove, Alex was hurriedly striding from one store to another trying to find the perfect short set to wear to the cookout. She didn't want anything too dressy but Alex didn't want anything too casual either. She finally settled on a pair of knee length shorts in a nice pastel green color and a soft cotton shirt in a breezy shade of yellow. After trying the outfit on and examining herself in the mirror, Alex figured that the colors set off her skin tone pretty well. Paying for the set and heading out of the shop, Alex was feeling good at her choices. Everything was fine until she heard a familiar annoying laugh behind her as she passed the food court.

_**"Well shit its Mandy. Oh great and what had turned out to be a good day so far has taken a turn for the worse."**, mentally fumed Alex._

Turning around Alex saw Clover's main nemesis. As usual, Mandy was dressed exceedingly well in a silk plum colored long-sleeved blouse, black skirt, and heeled calf-high leather boots. Standing slightly behind Mandy were her two lackeys who followed her just about everywhere. Alex sighed in resignation. Mandy had probably already seen the bag she was trying to hide behind her legs.

"Umm, hi Mandy, how's things going?", asked Alex casually.

Mandy tossed her long-black hair and snorted in her usual fashion. Before deigning to answer, she glanced at Alex.

"Everything is going fine for me as usual, Alex. How about you?", answered Mandy.

Alex knew a loaded question when she heard one and really didn't want to answer. However it would have been rude of her to not answer and Mandy would've made sure to torment her about it at school on Monday.

"I'm fine Mandy. Umm, but I'm kinda in a hurry and really can't stay and talk for a bit. I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Oh, in a hurry? What's your hurry, Alex? I don't see your two loser friends with you so I take it that you're by yourself."

_**"Geez, she sure is the master of the obvious, isn't she?",** thought Alex._

"Oh yeah, I just made this quick run to get an outfit to wear to a get together later today. As it is Mandy, I'm kind of behind schedule here so can we finish this conversation at another time.", stated Alex as she stole a surreptitious look at her watch.

Mandy stared at Alex for a while before gracefully turning on her heel and striding off into the distance. With her two faithful friends following in trail, Mandy walked a short distance away before turning a corner. Looking back towards the direction she had just come from, she held up one finger to her two friends to quiet any questions they might have. Mandy had a gut feeling that Alex was trying to hide something from her with her rude and hurried conversation. It galled her to think that one of the friends of her arch rival knew something that she didn't. Curious like a cat and wanting to one up Clover and her friends at every chance she could, Mandy wanted to know what Alex was hiding. If this thing about a get together was right, how come she – one of the richest and most popular students at Beverly High – didn't know about it? And if Alex knew about it, there was a definite chance that Sam knew and an even better chance that Clover knew about it. Around school Alex was known as one of the most blabber-mouthed students there was.

Alex couldn't keep a secret even if you paid her.

Watching Alex dash off, Mandy leaned against the wall and contemplated her next actions. Deciding quickly, she pointed to the girl on the right. Her friend stiffened and waited for whatever Mandy was going to say next.

"You, follow her and find out exactly what's going on with Alex and her friends. Find out all about this little get together she mentioned. Once you do that, call me immediately.", snapped Mandy.

"Yes Mandy, I'll find out for you.", replied the girl before starting off in Alex's direction.

Once her follower had disappeared in the throng of guys and girls cruising the mall, Mandy turned to the second girl and told her to find out about anything new going on in Beverly Hills.

"Especially if it involves those losers. Whatever it is I want to know as soon as possible.", added Mandy.

The girl thought for a second then nodded and stepped away to make a call, leaving Mandy to continue her leaning.

_**"Alex if you think you and your friends can hide something from me, you're badly mistaken. This is MY city and I either know everything going on or soon will know what is going on. You can't keep this from me forever. I will find out and I will turn it to my advantage!", **thought Mandy as she pushed herself off the wall and continued her mall-trawling._

Outside the mall and away from her confrontation with Mandy the snake, Alex relaxed and unchained her mountain bike from the bike rack. Putting the straps of the bag with her purchases on the handlebar, she mounted the bike and pedaled away from the popular teen hangout. Shifting from the easiest gear on the twelve speed bike to its hardest, she increased her speed. Unknown to her, Alex was being trailed by the girl Mandy had sent to find out more about what she had brought up. Unlike Alex, Mandy's friend had gotten into Mandy's car. Away from the mall, she relaxed a bit but kept her feet pumping as she headed in the direction of their shared villa. About fifteen minutes later, Alex turned onto their street and headed in the direction of home. Still behind her the car made the same turn while keeping Alex in sight.

Midway down the street, Alex looked over at the house that had been described to her the previous night. It was off to her right and a part of her mind acknowledged that whoever built the house did a damn fine job of it. As she approached she saw one of the guys and recognized Justin as he stood in the open garage. Stifling her original impulse to stop and inquire as to where his friend Dominic was, Alex just waved as she passed by.

Justin had just entered the garage from the house when he saw Alex pass by. At first he didn't recognize the girl as she pedaled past, but when she raised a hand and waved J.T. recognized her slim athletic figure and waved back. When she had passed out of his sight, Justin turned to the large garage and took stock of the vehicles inside. Parked along one wall were the three Triumph Sprints. Next to them were a trio of Triumph Tiger dual purpose bikes in Dark Orange, Midnight Black, and the same Calypso Blue as D.C.'s Sprint 1050. While the 1050's were their personal sport touring bikes, the Tigers were the trio's motorcycles to complement their cover as couriers. They were often taken off road when the guys got a chance to go trail riding. The Tigers also were the best way to get around on the land that Justin's family owned. Once a month, Justin's parents invited the boys to camp out on their land for stress relief. After their last harrowing mission, the boys had gone straight to their old house in San Diego, grabbed their Tigers and lit out for the country.

Also parked in the garage were three cars. One was Justin's green Nissan 300ZX convertible. It had been modified with the addition of a twin turbo system, a big brake kit from Baer, a quadruple Tubi exhaust system exhaling through twin Magnaflow performance mufflers. In addition to those things, the Nissan had a set of nineteen inch Yokohama tires wrapped around a set of one piece, seven spoke Rota wheels. Inside the car the interior had been modified with the addition of a wicked stereo system consisting of a pair of fifteen inch subwoofers, a thousand watt amp, and a considerable crossover. A seven inch Clarion LCD screen had been added on the passengers' side in the spot once occupied by the glove compartment. Next to his bike, Justin treasured his car. It had belonged to his older brother Samuel and when he had gotten married to his fiancée Barbara; Samuel had given it to him when he was fourteen years old.

Next to J.T.'s Z-car was Sean's gunmetal grey Audi TT Quattro. Like the Nissan, Sean had modified his Audi. Unlike the Nissan, the Audi had a big honkin' single turbo system that really moved that little car. A pair of Bride racing seats and Takata harnesses with a similar stereo system made up the black leather interior. The exterior of the TT had tinted widows (as did all of their cars), seventeen inch Enkei wheels wrapped in Toyo T-1 Proxes tires. A dual three inch exhaust with a single Magnaflow muffler gave the Audi a very mellow tone that Sean enjoyed a bit too much sometimes. Two weeks previous, Sean had been joyriding with one of his numerous ex-girlfriends when the chippies had pulled them over for doing a hundred and five miles per hour in a seventy mile per hour zone. Sean's mother, a federal agent, hadn't been happy and had complained to his father (a judge). Sean's dad made him pay the fine and had him spend a couple of nights in jail to get him to slow down. Natasha had gotten wind of the deal and when Sean got out of the steel bar motel, she dropped him on desk duty at WOOHP for a few days.

(AN: chippies slang for the CHP. i.e. California Highway Patrol)

On the other side of the Audi was Dominic's car. Unlike the other two cars which were both left-hand drive, D.C. had a right hand drive Mitsubishi FTO that his mom had imported direct from Japan. Like the TT and the Z, the FTO was also modified heavily. On one of their missions to the Land of the Rising Son, Dominic had met up with a couple of guys who ran the Wangan Expressway and once they had found out what kind of car he had, they introduced him to a few of the top tuners who could work miracles on a car. Once back home, Dominic had sent his car to Japan to get it worked on. Unlike J.T. and Sean, Dominic preferred his car to be well-rounded and the modifications done to the 2.5 liter V-6 engine included a twin turbo kit and some serious suspension hardware with a rally-ready set of Ohlins' coilovers. With an interior done up in crème kangaroo leather and a pretty good stereo system, Dominic often cruised by himself with some soothing music coming through the thoroughly done sound system and filtering out through the tinted moonroof when he had it open.

Justin grinned as he remembered some of the things that had been done in their cars over the years as he rolled out the Tigers so they could be washed free of the mud and dirt that had caked on them from their last trail ride. He had just rolled D.C.'s Tiger out when his buddy returned from wherever he had gone. Earlier D.C had come back from the meat store with more meat for the grill. Once the meat had been put on the counter, D.C had gone out again to pick something up that he had been waiting for. Justin watched as the graphite colored Triumph Daytona 675 sport bike was pulled up on the side of the house.

"Hey D.C what's up? You get that package from your father?", asked J.T. as he started running the water into the bucket he was going to use to clean up the Tigers'

"Yeah, got that and a little something extra.", answered D.C. as he took off his graphite colored helmet and placed it on the shelf over where his other two helmets were.

"Oh really, that's cool. What else did you get?"

"That box of .308 Winchester shells came in along with a box containing those three Hi-Point Carbines that boss lady wanted us to test out for our nest mission."

Hearing his friends words, Justin clenched his fist and exclaimed 'yes' in an ecstatic voice. He had come across an ad for the Hi-points in a magazine he had been reading at headquarters during pre-mission isolation and had been badgering Natasha to pick some up for WOOHP. She had demurred at first knowing that Jerry wouldn't particularly approve of such a limited number. However, Natasha had agreed to purchase some if she received some favorable reports on them from an outside source. Grinning inwardly when he heard that, Justin had put in motion a plan to get Dominic to talk to his dad about sending them three carbines to test. He knew how hard it would be to get Dominic to talk to his dad but had made it his business to bug D.C. until he caved in. It had taken three months to wear down D.C.'s refusal to even call his dad about the weapons. When he did cave Justin had eased up since he knew that D.C. and his father had some poisonous feelings between them.

From what he gathered, D.C.'s father had wanted D.C. to take over his family business after college when he retired. Dominic had refused and insisted that his younger sister take over the business. The argument had gotten so explosive that D.C. had stormed out of the house, jumped in his car and sped off. When he didn't show up for church the next day, his frantic family had called Justin and Sean and had begged them to find him before something happened. It took three days before the pair had found their partner holed up at some high class brothel whose owner he knew. When they showed up in the room he was using, D.C. went into a rage and threw empty bottles at them until he was subdued. The next night, D.C. called his partners into his office at the house Natasha had moved them into and informed them what type of business his dad owned. Turns out that their friend Dominic Calvin James was the heir to a family-owned private military corporation with many government contracts, and many enemies.

Nowadays, Dominic communicated with his family a bit more than usual but some things were still strained between them. For their missions, the guys were able to get their hands on any weapon they needed and didn't want to use WOOHP funds. It was a win/win deal according to Natasha and Jerry. WOOHP got the weapons while the family owned PMC didn't have to send their own operatives into such hostile environments and situations.

Dominic was going to comment on J.T.'s enthusiasm when the speakers in the garage clicked on and the opening strains from a familiar tune started. With a quick look at one another, the duo made their way around the side of the house and saw Sean waving to them from the back porch. As they stepped onto the porch, Sean increased the volume of the song playing and placed the remote on the glass topped table and uttered one phrase.

"This song brings back some good memories and bad ones."

D.C. and J.T. nodded as the song 'Bad to the Bone' by Inner Circle poured out from the speakers.

Over at the spies' villa, Alex was just getting out of her shower. She had made it home and related the confrontation with Mandy. As expected, Clover got incensed and vowed to make Mandy pay. Alex had told Clover that if she really wanted to pay her arch rival back then enjoy the cook out and get to know one of Dominic's friends. Then show up at school on Monday and be already acquainted with the new guys. Clover agreed and went to pick out an outfit.

Now wrapped in a towel, Alex padded across the carpet in her room to her dresser and started picking out her undergarments. Once those were chosen, Alex slid into the sleeves of her new blouse and buttoned it up. Leaving the top button undone, she then reached down and slid her legs into the shorts. Once the shorts were on and secured, Alex crossed back over to her closet and picked out a thin leather belt and slid it through the belt loops of the shorts before securing it firmly. Reaching down to the bottom of her closet, Alex picked out some sandals she had that had been rarely worn. Giving herself an appreciative glance in her mirror Alex gave her small silver hoop earrings a flick and watched as they jostled against her skin. Debating whether or not to add a dab of perfume behind her ears, Alex decided not to and replaced the perfume bottle she had picked up. Happy with her appearance at present, she left the room. The door had been closed for only a second before it swung open again and Alex went ahead and got the perfume she had placed back on her vanity table seconds before.

_**"Oh screw it. If I'm going to do this I need to do it right. If he notices the perfume, he notices.",** thought Alex._

Opening the bottle, she put a small amount on a cotton ball and used the cotton to dab behind her ears. Closing the bottle of perfume and discarding the cotton ball, Alex looked at her wrist to check the time. Swearing to herself Alex again left her room and headed downstairs.

Downstairs, Sam and Clover were impatiently waiting for their friend. She was the one who had told them about the cookout and now she was the one making them late. Wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a sleeveless white v-necked shirt, Clover was seated on the couch with one tanned leg crossed over the other idly tapping one shoe clad foot on the ground. Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, Sam also waited for Alex to come down and take them to the cook out. Complementing her red hair, Sam wore a crisp white shirt and a soft red tennis skirt and matching tennis shoes.

When Alex made it downstairs, she took one glance at her friends and nodded approvingly. Before she could say anything Clover asked where the cook out was going to be. Alex gave Clover a mysterious and innocent smile before answering.

"It's pretty close Clover. In fact it's so close we could walk there."

"Oh great, when Alex is trying to be innocent you know something's up. Let me get the car keys.", replied Sam.

Alex ignored the grumbling and went through the front door. Stopping at the end of their walkway, she looked back at her two friends and waited for them to join her. When they did, she indicated a house a short distance up their street where several vehicles had gathered. Hearing gasps of surprise; Alex turned and faced her blonde and red-haired friends.

"See, I told you it was close enough to walk there. Now do you believe me?"

Getting no answer, Alex turned on her heel and started walking towards the house of Dominic and his friends. Within minutes, the trio was walking up the driveway. Music was being played at a reasonable level as they approached and they could see smoke from a grill rising from the backyard. As they got closer to the door, the smell of food being grilled got stronger. Alex could smell steak, chicken, sausage, and fish being grilled and it reminded her of the times when her parents had cooked out in their backyard when she was younger.

Standing in the living room talking to one of the other operatives of their division, D.C. noticed the girls walking up and stepped over to the door to let them in. Alex entered the house with Clover and Sam behind her. Stepping up to Dominic, she waited for him to finish his conversation before introducing her friends.

"Hi Dominic, these are my friends Alex and Clover. I told you I'd bring them."

"So you did. And I see that they are just as attractive as you are.", replied D.C. before turning to Clover and Sam.

Sam and Clover introduced themselves and thanked Dominic for inviting their friend. Once they saw that their host had turned his attention back to Alex, they talked to each other for a second. As was her wont, Clover commented first.

"Ohmigawd, he's hot! Now I know why Alex was in such a rush to get here. If he is that good looking then I can't wait to meet his friends.", exclaimed Clover quietly.

"Yeah, I agree, Alex really did it this time. And to top it off, she said that Dominic and his friends would be starting at Bev High on Monday? I think we've hit the jackpot this time.", returned Sam.

With dreamy looks in their eyes, Clover and Sam followed Dominic as he showed them the way to the backyard where the grill was. Along the way he introduced him to some of the other guests (many of whom knew the girls on sight, but they kept quiet about the knowledge so as not to compromise security). As they were showed around the house, the girls looked at many of the furnishings and decorations with awe and respect. Along one wall through the living room were African tribal masks and spears. Another wall held some well know paintings by different artists. Sam just about drooled when she saw the computer system in the office. D.C. said it belonged to his friend Justin.

"At the moment, I think J.T. is out on the back porch playing bartender, Sam.", commented D.C.

As the quartet exited the house and entered the backyard, D.C. pointed out his two friends. Getting the attention of his two friends, D.C. waved them over and introduced them to Clover and Sam. The duo said hi to Alex as they strolled up to where D.C. was standing with the girls. The six conversed together for a minute before J.T. and Sean told D.C. that he needed to get back to the grill and turn over the meat and let it finish cooking.

"Oh yeah, the shish kabobs are ready to cook. You can take them out of the pan where they were marinating and go ahead and place them on the grill. Just don't let them cook too long, okay, D.C?", asked Sean.

"Yeah sure I'll take care of it. Why don't y'all go ahead and get acquainted. I'll be right with you once I get that done.", replied D.C.

Alex had been watching and saw her chance. During the six way conversation, she had noticed that Clover and Sam had been quite taken by Justin and Sean respectively. As the group split up, she saw her two friends walking with D.C.'s friends and sighed in relief. Sam and J.T. ended up at the bar, while Sean and Clover ended up chatting under the gazebo. Hearing a throat being cleared behind her, she blushed as she remembered that D.C. was still standing next to her. Turning to her object of attention, she read what was on the apron he was wearing to cover his tan cargo shorts and black polo shirt and laughed.

"How original; a 'kiss the chef' apron. Where'd ya get that? No let me guess, J.T. bought it for you?", asked Alex as she followed D.C. back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, how'd you guess?"

"It seems that Justin would do something like that. I take it he is a big practical joker."

"Oh yeah, you'll have to ask him about some of the jokes he's played on Sean and I. Some of them were real big."

Alex watched as D.C. grabbed an empty platter off the counter and headed out towards the big grill sitting on the porch. When he got there, he lifted the lid and started to take some of the steak, fish, and chicken off the grill with the tongs that had been sitting on the shelf beside the grill. When he was finished he turned to Alex.

"Hey, Alex can you do me a favor? Can you take this platter and place it on the serving table over there? That way everyone can come along and fill their plates as they want."

"Sure I can do that. Do you want me to bring the pan holding the shish kabobs here so you can put them on the grill?", asked Alex as she accepted the platter from D.C.

"Yeah, thanks very much. I had almost forgotten those. Our bosslady loves kabobs and I would never live it down if I had forgotten to have some for her."

Alex nodded and headed off with the platter and several people in tow. As he watched her place the hot platter down on the table his nose caught the faint scent of plumeria trailing behind her.

_**"Hmm, so she put on some perfume. I wasn't expecting that."**, mused D.C. before he turned his attention back to the grill all the while fighting the attraction that was slowly starting to filter into his mind the longer he spent in Alex's company._

Across the way in the gazebo, Sean and Clover were having an illuminating conversation of their own. Clover had found out that Sean was on the football team and he had been interested that Clover was one of the cheerleaders. As they chatted on, the pair found that they had several mutual interests. About an hour after she had arrived, Clover asked Sean what kind of part-time job he had. Sean stiffened just a bit but went on with the cover they had agreed on.

"Oh it's nothing really. Dominic, J.T., and I are all motorcycle couriers when were not in school or at our respective practices. It pays alright. In fact our boss and the company we work for had this house bought for us when we moved up here.", answered Sean.

Clover was about to ask more but at that moment her stomach growled. Blushing heavily, she quickly apologized but Sean told her not to worry about it. He was getting hungry as well.

"This always happens when D.C. uses the grill. Why don't we go ahead and get some food and something to drink?"

"Okay, that sounds like a wonderful idea. What do you recommend?", asked Clover.

Sean smiled and told her what he recommended as they approached the serving table. Choosing for both of them, Sean filled up to plates and walked back over to the gazebo. On the way over, he and Clover stopped at the bar in order to grab a bottle of juice. While they waited for J.T. to bring their drinks, Sean and Clover talked with Sam as she sat at one of the barstools. Clover could tell just from listening to the way Sam talked that she and J.T. had hit it off real well.

"In fact, he's taking me to my favorite museum on Wednesday.", gushed Sam.

"Getting an early start, Sam?", joked Clover.

"No, I just wanted to show him around Bev Hills and what better place to start than with some of my favorite sites.", retorted Sam as she fiddled with her napkin.

Clover let Sam off the hook but not before she saw the faint blush that had showed up on Sam's cheeks. She too had felt like asking Sean out to show him the city but had waited because she wasn't sure. Now with Sam having gone ahead and opened the door on the subject, Clover waited for J.T. and Sean to return and asked him if he had gotten to see the city yet.

"No, not yet. We've only been here a short time and most of that has been work related and moving into this house. Last night was the first time we had even gotten a chance to go out at all.", answered Sean as he took a bite of his steak.

"Oh, I see. I got a question. Since you just moved into the house and spent your first night here last night. How long had you been in the city and where had you been staying?"

"Dominic, Justin, and I have been in the city for about two weeks now. We'd been staying at a hotel for a bit but our boss let us crash at her place this last week so we could start some semblance of household living."

Sam and Clover nodded. It was the same thing that J.T had told Sam. After a few minutes of mutual conversation, Clover and Sean walked off. Sean was going to show Clover around the house. Taking a sip of her drink, Sam leaned back against the bar. Shifting her attention over towards the grill, she saw Alex and D.C. chatting to themselves as he cooked. Continuing her look around, Sam's attention was captured by an older dark-haired lady wearing a tank top and a pair of grey shorts stretched out on one of the chaise lounges with a pair of designer shades covering her eyes and looking in her direction. Sam didn't remember meeting her before and wondered who she was. Nonchalantly studying the woman as she took another sip from her drink it soon became apparent to Sam that the woman she was watching as also watching her and how she acted around J.T.

_**"I wonder who that is, she sure seems intent about something."**, mused Sam as she shifted her attention elsewhere. _

Putting the studious woman out of her mind, Sam turned her attention back to the guy standing behind the bar. Across the way, the woman who had been studying Sam (and to a lesser intent, also studying Clover and Alex), rose from her seat and made her way towards the serving table. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that D.C. was laughing at something Alex had said.

Shaking her head at the resilience of youth, Natasha let her worries fade away. It was time for her boys to start getting active social lives again and these three girls could be a means to that end. It helped that all six teenagers were a part of the same organization.

Back at the grill, Alex was enjoying her time with Dominic. Standing next to him, she had been able to filch bites of everything he prepared. Her taste buds had watered as the explosion of flavors and seasonings met her palate and left her wanting more. D.C. had even gone on and let her cook some of the last few steaks and burgers that were now sitting on the serving table. He had helped when she requested it but all in all, D.C. had let her do some of the grilling on her own.

"Soon you'll be almost as good as me when it comes to cooking on a grill.", D.C. teased.

"Almost, heck I'm nowhere near your level of expertise. However if it comes down to cooking in the kitchen, I bet I can cook rings around you.", she shot back easily.

"Maybe you are and maybe you aren't. You haven't tasted my kitchen cooking yet."

Alex laughed then shifted the conversation about her learning more about how to cook on a grill. D.C. chuckled again as he turned a chicken breast over and sprinkled some more seasonings on it from the bottle on the counter next to the grill. Replacing the bottle, she watched as he reached down and picked up a bowl full of barbeque sauce that he had doctored up with brown sugar and other things and proceeded to dab the sauce on to the chicken with the rush that sat in the bowl. Accepting the bowl as he passed it to her and then basting a couple of the big hamburgers with it, Alex sighed in happiness.

"Maybe next time you cook out, you can give me a few private lessons in grill mastery.", Alex said coyly.

She saw in his eyes that D.C. got the insinuation and at first seemed a bit uncomfortable about it. But after an inner battle she could see waging behind his eyes, he shrugged and didn't discount the possibility. Alex was about to comment more on it but she was interrupted as Sean and Clover made their way over towards them. Sean turned his attention to D.C. and the two held a quick conversation about lighting the tiki torches scattered around the backyard.

"Yeah, go ahead, since it's starting to get dark. Change the music up a bit and replace some of the fast paced stuff with something slower. Before you light the three torches around the gazebo make sure you lower the screens so that the smoke doesn't disturb those sitting out there.", stated Dominic.

"Sure no problem, I'll take care of it. You want me to tell J.T. to start shutting down the bar? I mean, once those torches are lit, I don't think our guests will want dead insects falling into their glasses.", asked Sean as he leaned against the counter on the other side of the grill.

"That sounds like a plan. Light the torches by the hammocks first. That should give those guests using the hammocks a chance to avoid being bitten by insects. Oh yeah, I take it you've seen the bosslady hanging around."

"Hell, you'd have to be blind to not see her. She's the only woman out here without a date. Think she has a job for us?", asked Sean softly as he shifted his attention to the lady in question.

Dominic shook his head and gave an imperceptible hand sign with his hands to let his friend know not to bring up that subject while the girls were around. With a quick glance at Alex and Clover locked in their own conversation he felt a tinge of relief as he saw that neither girl had heard Sean's words. Looking over towards the bar where Justin was looking at him as Sam chatted with the couple next to her, D.C. saw his friend raise a hand and indicate where Natasha was stretched out enjoying her novel. He nodded imperceptibly to let J.T. know that both he and Sean had seen her. Dominic also knew that Natasha had seen the hand signals passed between her operatives and was letting it pass as if they weren't important.

Sending his attention back to the patio chairs where Alex and Clover were still talking, Dominic chuckled to himself and turned his attention back to the food on the grill. He was working on the last group of food to be cooked and he would be glad when he finished. He hadn't eaten yet and was getting hungry. Fortified by bottles of water and glasses of juice, D.C. smelled the aroma of his steaks and looked ahead to the moment when he could tear into one himself. Grinning at Sean as they stood in silence, D.C. raised his empty hand up to his collar mimed a wiping off movement. Sean was puzzled at first then he realized that D.C was informing him that there was a faint spot of pink liptick smeared there. Hastily grabbing a napkin and dunking it in the glass of water, he franticly rubbed at the spot as D.C. guffawed.

Hearing the loud laughter from Dominic, Alex looked over at the two guys and saw that a spot of embarrassment had popped up on his cheeks as he rubbed at something on his shirt collar with a damp napkin. Casting a look at Clover and raising an inquisitive eyebrow, Alex quickly figured out what had happened.

"Jeez Clover, you move quickly."

"Oh be quiet Alex. It was an accident. As he was showing me around the house, I slipped and fell. He caught me just as my face connected with his shoulder.", retorted Clover.

"Mmmhmm, and I suppose that the lipstick you are wearing now appeared on your lips as if by magic?"

Clover's blue eyes flashed in a quick burst of anger and Alex let it slide. She didn't want to ruin a good day. After some more conversation, Alex watched as Sean and Clover went inside to change the music for the stereo system. Within minutes of the pair entering the house, the mellow sounds of John Legend floated out into the backyard. Looking at D.C. as the glow of the setting sun softened his brown skin; Alex saw that the music was relaxing him more and more. Observing the other guests she saw that they were also relaxing as the music swirled around the yard carried by the air currents that flowed around the yard. Wrapping her arms around her left knee, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to tune in to the music. Soon she found herself loosing up and tension flowing out of her body as it was carried away by the music.

While everybody inside the house and those gathered around the backyard relaxed with the onset of dusk, there was a car parked a couple of houses away. Inside the car sat Mandy and her two henchwomen. Ever since her spy had reported back to her about her rivals, Mandy had been driven with an insane jealousy. With the information about the three new high school aged guys moving to Beverly Hills gathered by her other sources, Mandy could put two and two together and figured out what Alex had been hiding. Mandy also knew that if Alex knew about the guys, then Clover most definitely knew and would take any advantage in their eternal competition.

Grinding her teeth together in frustration, Mandy waited impatiently in her families' Benz so that she could make her move when the opportunity presented itself. Over the past couple of hours, she had smelled the aroma from the food and her stomach had growled indicating its displeasure with her sit and wait strategy. Looking through a pair of high powered binoculars, Mandy had spotted Clover being shown through the house and her ire had grown. The guy Clover had been with had been a mega-cutie.

_**"If Clover thinks that this new guy is going to help her gain more popularity points at school, she has another thing coming. Give me enough time and I'll have him wrapped around my finger.",** Mandy thought as she and her friends continued to sit in the car. _

Mandy's stakeout hadn't gone unnoticed by some of the off-duty agents at the cookout and word had been passed on from agent to agent till it got back to Dominic, Justin, and Sean. At the moment, the trio was sitting on the back porch talking to each other while they waited for Alex and her two friends to return from freshening up. The conversation was innocuous and flitted from topic to topic. However underneath the rambling conversation was another covert conversation going on. With the ease of long practice and the familiarity with each other; D.C., J.T., and Sean could pass information among each other right under an enemy's nose.

Looking around at some of their remaining guests, D.C. was asking an innocent question of Sean while J.T. listened intently.

"So Sean you think that a Benz could outrun a Volvo? I think you may be mistaken my friend. Even though the Benzino has two extra cylinders, it also has a few extra hundred pounds to haul around. In the interim, a Volvo is three times as safe as the Mercedes and a hell of a lot safer than any domestic car on the road today."

"The Volvo maybe safer, D.C. but I think more people prefer the Mercedes. Look around you, here in this city there are five times as many Benzes than Volvo's. We aren't going to even talk about the Beemers sprinting around town.", Sean cut in.

"Ahh, BMW's a real driver's car. Forget the 3 Series. The 5 Series BMW's are where it's at. Even the M5 Beemers are a penny a dozen around here. If you had a Benz, a 'Vo, and a Beemer gathered in one place D.C. what would you do?"

D.C. thought for a moment before answering Justin.

"I'd take the Volvo and pull up beside the Benz and give its driver a big smile and tell her that I paid thousands less for more quality. I'd leave the BMW alone because I know that it could outrun me even if I tried."

Justin and Sean laughed hard at the absurd statement before turning their attention to each other and changing the subject. Behind them, Dominic could see another agent giving them a non-verbal update on the car down the street. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, D.C got up and strolled into the house. Traveling through the kitchen and dining room into the living room, he made his way to a window that would give him a view of the street. Seeing the car in question he wondered what he should do. Feeling a tap on his shoulder he turned around and saw Alex. Getting an idea, he pointed out to the car and asked her about it.

Alex had finished washing her hands and had exited the restroom. Going outside, she didn't see D.C and had asked Justin and Sean of his whereabouts. When they told her where she could find him, Alex had gone searching and had found him staring out the window. Tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention, Alex was about to suggest they return to the backyard when he asked her about a car parked on the street. Glancing in the direction he indicated, it took her a minute to recognize the car and -more importantly - the driver. D.C watched as Alex's face went from confusion to anger in the space of two seconds.

"Dammit, it's Mandy. I knew she had let me off the hook too easily this morning at The Groove. She must've had one of her lackeys' follow me home then called Mandy when the three of us came here.", sputtered Alex.

"Ignore her for now, Alex. She's not causing any problems as of yet. Why don't we return to the backyard? I'm still hungry and there's a steak and a couple of cheeseburgers and sausages with my name on them. I want to go ahead and eat before they get cold.", stated D.C. as he deftly turned Alex around and headed back towards the gathering out back.

Alex followed reluctantly but she was still fuming at Mandy's brashness. As she walked back towards the other guests out back she knew that she had to get to talk to her two friends so they could figure out how to get through this dilemma. When D.C. opened the sliding glass door to the backyard and let her go through first, she absently thanked him before continuing her mental mulling. Behind her D.C. was formulating a plan of his own. As he stepped through the door and shut it behind him he allowed Alex to get a few steps ahead and waved over one of the female agents scattered around the backyard. As he waited, Dominic glanced idly about and saw that J.T. and Sam had taken over two of the lounges and were now stretched out watching the stars, listening to the music, and finishing dinner. Continuing his with his roving eyes, Dominic also saw that Clover had managed to convince Sean to join her in the gazebo. When the agent reached him, he gave her some cursory instructions about the car out front and waited for the action to begin.

Out front Mandy was still observing the guests when she saw another woman heading their way. At first she brushed it off as another departing guest. However, when the lady in question made her way over to her car and tapped on the window Mandy rolled it down and rudely asked what she wanted.

"Ma'am, it's my duty to inform you that you have been invited inside by the residents. They were a tad bit worried about you and asked me to let you know that there is some food and drink if you want it. Have a good evening."

Mandy grumbled and was about to turn the lady down when her stomach growled, much to her dismay. Deciding that just this once she could allow herself to mingle with those of a lower status than herself, Mandy opened the door and climbed out. Her two friends got out of the car as well and together they followed the woman in the dark sunglasses. As they approached one of the side gates, D.C. was there to greet them and introduce himself. Politely introducing herself and her two friends, Mandy gazed about and spotted her arch rival sitting in the gazebo with the guy she had been touring the house with earlier.

By, D.C.'s count it took all of two minutes for the appearance of Mandy to register with the spies. Of the three, Clover was the most vocal about her arrival. As usual whenever Clover and Mandy got in close proximity to each other, the taunts and insults began and flew like wildfire. D.C. was willing to let it go on for a bit longer when he caught the disapproving glare from Natasha and intervened. Escorting Mandy and her two friends to the serving table, he told them to eat whatever they chose and to have as much as they wanted. As their rivals filled their plates and sat down to eat, Clover, Alex, and Sam were discussing the sudden turn of events among each other.

"At least J.T. and I will have been on one date before Mandy tries to sink her claws into him. Same goes for you and Sean, right Clover?", asked Sam as she took a bite from the shish kabob she had snatched from under Mandy's fingers.

"That's true, Sam. I was hoping to keep Sean under wraps until this coming weekend but I guess that I'm gonna have to act fast before the snake gets a chance to figure him out. Unfortunately Mandy and I are both cheerleaders and with Sean being on the football team, that's going to make things much harder. What about you Alex, have you set up a date with D.C. yet? I hope you have because if you haven't and Mandy finds that out, she or one of her friends is going to make a play for him and leave you out in the cold.", retorted Clover.

Alex turned a slight shade of red and tried to form a reply. Not coming up with one, she just shook her head and much to her chagrin, her two friends groaned at Alex for not at least setting something up. Wondering about D.C.'s reaction, Alex turned around and saw him watching her with an inquisitive look on his face. Next to him stood his two partners who looked a bit confused at the recent outbursts. Alex was about to say something when a heavily accented voice called out to D.C. from a location off to her right. Rotating in that direction, Alex saw the woman referred to as his boss calling D.C. and his two friends over for some reason.

Dominic had heard Natasha call out to him and had stiffened up. Next to him he could sense that J.T. and Sean had done the same. Making their way towards Natasha, he diverted towards Alex. Approaching her, he leaned down and muttered something in her ear. Feeling the heat from her smile as he backed away, Dominic turned and continued towards the head of the 'Dirty Little Jobs' Department of WOOHP. Before either of them could say anything, Natasha quietly lit into Dominic for doing something rash like he did. Listening to her operatives as they accepted her words without any excuse, she came to the reason for calling them over.

"You three got a mission tomorrow. It consists of a hit and get with a cosh and carry. I'll email the files on the targets when I get home tonight. This is a rush job but J-Dawg is allowing time for you to go to church tomorrow morning. After church, report to the airfield where you insertion ride will be waiting. As usual it's your choice of weapons, but choose wisely and not leave anything that could point to our organization. Review the files tonight until they are memorized. Once memorized, you know what to do with the files. When the operation is over, activate your locator and we'll send a team to extract you from the field. This job should go over easy and you should be home by late tomorrow night.", stated Natasha.

The three assassins nodded as one. Asking a few questions of their boss, they got the gist of the needed information and knew that more in-depth would be waiting on their computer a bit later tonight. As they turned to leave, their boss ordered them to report to headquarters on Monday after class for cross training with Jerry's spies. Neglecting to tell them exactly who their training partners would be for the session on Monday, Natasha bugged Sean about dessert before heading back to her perch in one of the hammocks.

Returning to their guests, Dominic and his friends sat at the table, each across from one of the girls. Just as he placed his plate on the glass top, Mandy slid into one of the vacant chairs next to Sean much to Clover's dismay. Before she could say anything, Sam cast a baleful glance her way and cautioned her to not start anything. Slipping into his seat next to Alex, D.C. could see the tension that was crackling in the air as the six girls stared daggers at each other while trying to keep their smiles in place. Sighing to himself and hoping nothing happened to ruin the still warm steak waiting for him, D.C. made some changes in the seating arrangements that suited everybody. Within minutes the tension had eased a bit and the nine teenagers were able to enjoy themselves a bit better. Or at least three of them were. There was still a lower level of tension between the six females but they acknowledged it and moved on.

An hour later the sun had gone down and the yard was lit by the flickering tiki torches, the three hosts announced that dessert would be served after the remaining food was put up. Alex and her two friends volunteered to help put the food away and packing some up for other guests to take home. At the same time, Mandy checked her watch and begged off of dessert saying that she had to get home. Clover snorted and was about to comment when Sam stepped on her foot. Dominic, Sean, and Justin refused to let Mandy and her two friends go until after they had tried at least one piece from the four cheesecakes Sean had made. Once that was done, Mandy and her friends made their exit.

Once Mandy and her two followers had left, Clover, Alex, and Sam loosened up to pre-Mandy's arrival levels and were once again enjoying the night air. Now the girls and their chosen ones were scattered around the backyard. Justin and Sam were playing a game of chess in the gazebo, Sean and Clover were swinging in two hammocks that were close together and talking about some of their interests, while Dominic and Alex were still at the table on the patio basking in the night air and eating some more cheesecake.

D.C. had taken off his apron and hung it up in the garage where it could be washed. Now he sat in one of the cushioned chairs and sighed in relief as he lifted his feet up. Leaning back in her chase lounge, Alex watched as the guy wearing the tan cargo shorts and a black polo shirt rested. For the first time she noticed the logo on the shirt.

"Hi-Point, what kind of fashion company is that?", she asked.

D.C. tensed imperceptibly but let it go. He actually had no desire to explain that through his father, He and his friend were members of an exhibition shooting team. Wondering how he could explain he, his mind hit up on a simple strategy.

"Oh it's not a fashion company per se. I got this shirt from my dad. He and my mom are members of an exclusive club that doesn't advertise. Both Sean and J.T.'s parents are members of the same club. Since we're teenagers, our parents set us up as junior and part time members. It's of no consequence though. Sometimes we can never make the club get-togethers.", he answered, embellishing the truth a bit.

"I see, do you think my friends and I could join this club sometime later?"

"I dunno but I can find out. I'll just have to get in touch with my dad. Or better yet. Sean could get in touch with his parents. They could give us a quicker answer. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons are a bit more active in the club than my parents are."

Alex nodded and stretched her arms up over her head before crossing them behind her head and looking up as the stars glimmered in the night sky. Lapsing into a comfortable silence the pair relaxed to the music playing at low volume over the yard speakers. A couple of hours later; only Dominic, Sean, J.T., Clover, Alex, Sam, and a few others were left. Other than the six teenagers, the few guests left were heading towards their cars for the long ride home. As the guys cleaned up the remnants of trash on the patio, the girls were washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen.

D.C. was putting out the last few tiki torches after spraying the grill with a cleaner that he planned to leave on overnight. Justin was finishing up his cleaning in the bar area and taking glasses into the kitchen for Sam and Clover to wash. Sean had just finished with sweeping up the trash on the patio and was taking the full bags of trash out to the garbage cans. Alex was wiping down the serving tables and food preparation area with a hot towel and some cleaner. When he finished with the torches, D.C. got J.T. and Sean to walk their sport bikes back into the garage. The gold Suzuki GSX-R 750 and the red Yamaha R6 were returned to their parking spot on the small covered porch for the game room on the side of the house. D.C. had put his Daytona 675 there earlier.

When everything was finished, Sam conversed with Clover and Alex and decided that it was time for them to return to their villa and get some rest. The girls thanked Dominic for inviting them and let him know that they had enjoyed their evening and the food. Even with Mandy's appearance Clover called it a good day. Looking at the time on the clock for the microwave oven, Dominic volunteered his friends and himself to walk the girls' home. Even though they only lived a few houses down, he explained that the guys would feel a bit safer with walking them home. Sam was about to turn down the request but Alex cut in and said that she would love it if they did. Besides, Alex thought that she could walk slowly and extend her time with Dominic.

"Alright, that sounds like a plan. Give us a minute and we'll be right there.", commented Sean.

Sam relented and guided her two friends towards the door. When they stepped out of the kitchen, D.C. looked at J.T. and nodded. Justin returned the nod stepped from the kitchen into another hallway. Stopping at a closet, he opened the door, reached up to the top shelf and pulled down three small carry packs. Tossing one to Sean and the other to D.C., J.T. unzipped his just enough to verify what was in the pack before untucking his shirt and strapping his pack around his waist and slid it around to his strong side. Sean and Dominic did the same and with one last glance at each other the trio made their way to the front door where Sam and friends were waiting.

When they left the house, each girl ended up walking with the guy who had been with her most of the day. Twenty minutes after leaving the house, the six teenagers were strolling up the driveway to the spies' villa. Sam and J.T. were the first to the door and continued their conversation in the time it took for Sam to unlock the villa door. Since Sam had the key, she was the first to walk inside. After shaking Justin's hand and reconfirming their date for later the coming week, Sam unlocked the door and stepped inside. Before stepping completely in the foyer of the villa, Sam turned and kissed J.T. on the cheek and thanked him again for a wonderful evening.

"No problem Sam. Don't forget I'm picking you up on Wednesday after class and you can show me around this city of yours. Take it easy and have a good night.", said J.T. as he stepped down and allowed Clover and Sean to walk up.

With one last wave, J.T. let Sean and Clover have the porch and made his way to the sidewalk. Passing D.C. and Alex, he caught the look in his friends' eyes and nodded once. Out on the sidewalk, Justin casually slipped the thumb of his right hand through one of his belt loops, positioning his hand closer to what sat in the unzipped small pack. While Clover and Sean said their goodbyes, Justin watched the street with hooded eyes.

On the porch, Clover was finishing up describing some of her favorite places around town. Making sure to remind him of his promise, Clover told him that she would be ready.

"Hehehe okay Clover. We've already set plans for you to show me around town on Wednesday after football practice. Just give me a bit of time to run home shower and grab my car. I'll pick you up at eight and we can tour this city you so love."

Once Clover disappeared inside the house after the de rigueur chaste kiss on her hand (Clover would have preferred him to kiss her lips but she let it slide. There would be many more chances for those kisses later that week), Sean made his way down the driveway and stood next to Justin. Both were standing casually and having a conversation but a professional would have seen that neither guy was looking at the other as they made small talk. If they were observing the teenagers, a professional would have noticed the hard glint in the eyes of J.T. and Sean as they covered their partners back.

Now that they were somewhat alone, Alex was racking her brain trying to come up with a way to extend the night a bit more short of inviting him in for coffee. She knew that Sam and Clover wanted to gossip about the day and about the guys. Alex figured that neither of her friends would appreciate the presence of a male in the house while they sat around in pajamas and gossiped back and forth. Some of Clover's stuff was downright revealing and occasionally Alex was embarrassed by some of Clover's things.

During the walk to the villa, Alex had on separate occasions been on the verge of asking D.C. out. Yet each time the subject started to come up in their conversations, she managed to change the topic and send the conversation off in a different direction to combat her nervousness.

_**"Crap, I can't even approach the subject of a date without getting flustered and scared he would turn me down. Come one think of something else to keep the conversation alive till you get around to asking him out, girl.", **tormented Alex's inner mind. _

For his part, D.C. was wondering why Alex hadn't broached the question he knew she wanted to ask. He had already heard from J.T. and Sean about their dates later this week and was wondering if Alex was ever going to ask. As they had approached the doorway, D.C. figured that if he wanted the question asked, he was going to do it himself. However, Alex was frustrating him with her constant subject changes when the topic came up. Listening to another of her flimsy changes of topic, D.C. sighed and decided to go ahead and put the subject out there. Cutting her off with a wave of his hand, Dominic bulled ahead.

"Alex, I get the feeling that there is something you want to ask me. However, it seems that each time the subject comes up you change the topic. I don't know if you're scared to ask or are just trying to find another way to approach it. Since you seem a bit nervous about it, I'm going to stop dancing around the issue and ask you straight out: Since I just moved here and haven't gotten around to seeing the sights do you think we can meet up somewhere so you can show me around?"

Stunned for a moment, Alex didn't know what to say. When his words registered Alex knew that there could only be one answer to his question and her heart started to pound as she prepared to answer.

"Yes, I think we could do that."

"Good, I'll pick you up Thursday evening around seven thirty or so."

"I'll be ready on Thursday."

"Good I expect for you to show me your city the way you want me to see it."

Alex nodded as her heart pounded within her chest as D.C.' calm voice reverberated within her eardrums. She felt an inner peace that she had rarely felt before. Before she knew it, Alex was lifting herself up on her toes and gently kissing D.C.'s soft lips. As she pulled away from the moment of touch, she felt him brush her lips with the rough surface of his thumb before letting her go and turning towards his two friends standing alertly at the end of the driveway. Footsteps lighter than air carried her into the villa where she watched as D.C. turned and watched her close the door.

As the door was closing, Alex saw D.C. raise a hand in farewell before the thick door took him out of her sight. Turning to face the foyer, Alex sighed and leaned her back against the door. Crossing her arms over her chest, and hugging herself tightly, she saw that Clover and Sam had already changed into their pajamas and were peeking around the corner from the entryway to the kitchen. With a laugh of delight, she made her way over to her two friends. Stepping into the kitchen Alex saw that the five gallon bucket of ice cream was already opened and sitting on the table waiting for them to dive right in to the gossip.

Once the door had closed, D.C. turned to his two friends and with a nod, the trio headed back to their own dwelling. Unconsciously slipping into a flying wedge formation with D.C. at tip, each guy shifted is mind to the file that was waiting for them on the computer at home. Without a word spoken between them, the boys made ready for anything that might happen. Once they were home: Justin went and booted up the computer, Dominic secured the doors and set the alarm system, while Sean went to prepare a pot of coffee. They had a hard night of planning coming up and they were going to need every ounce of caffeine they could brew.

"Once we go over the mission files Trigger Zero sent us, I want you two downstairs working getting acquainted with our new ordinance. There are three Hi-Point carbines sitting ready for use down on the basement range. Before we get some rest, we will go through ten magazines of forty caliber ammo apiece to get used to the new weapons. We're taking them with us tomorrow. Everything set up, Justin?"

"Everything's ready, Foxfire Lead."

"Good. Start the file download, Foxfire Drei. We don't have all night."

"Coffee's almost ready.", stated Sean.

"Thank god for that Foxfire Deuce. It looks like we'll need it."

The computer chirruped that its information download was complete and the three teenaged assassins bent down to study the file.

Back up the road at the spies' villa, Alex, Sam, and Clover had talked for a couple of hours and the five gallon tub of Rocky Road Ice Cream had been emptied during the course of the conversation. The trio were wearing either lounging pants or pajamas in a multitude of colors. Alex was licking her spoon clean trying to get the last little bit of ice cream off while Clover and Sam looked on. Both the blonde and the redhead had questioned their friend at length about D.C. and Alex had spilled just about all, including the fact that the idea for her date with D.C. on Thursday being his suggestion instead of hers. She also explained that Dominic had noticed her nervousness and had come up with the idea himself.

"Although the way he put it made it seem like I had suggested it.", finished Alex as she dropped her spoon in the empty plastic container.

"Interesting, very interesting, it seems that D.C. is pretty good with words. I wonder how good he would do against me. Did you find out which classes he was planning on taking, Alex?", asked Sam.

"No, not yet, we hadn't gotten to that part of the conversation yet. We were still in the 'get to know you a bit better' phase. I do know that he will be joining the Beverly High Men's Soccer Team when tryouts come up. I wonder what school he played for last year.", stated Alex as she propped her legs on the counter and leaned back in her seat.

Sitting on the breakfast counter with her legs crossed, Clover planted a fist under hear chin and leaned on it. Sean had told her what school the guys had attended before they moved but now she couldn't remember it. Thinking back for a moment, she remembered that Sean said he had played football for his school against Bev High last year. As a cheerleader, Clover had been to the majority of the football games the year previous except for the ones where she and her friends had been shanghaied by Jerry for missions. She remembered that the team's win-loss record and opponents were printed on the page next to where the football team picture was in the yearbook. Thinking quickly she told Sam and Alex to wait for her.

"I'll be right back. If his school played against ours last year, the school name would be in the yearbook. Gimme a minute or three.", said Clover as she dashed off to her room to fetch her yearbook.

Clover was back in two minutes and by the time she made it to the counter, she had the thick hardback book opened to the 'Extracurricular Activities' section. Flipping the pages until she reached the pages she wanted, Clover laid the book down on the counter. The page visible was the page she had been searching for and she glanced at the Beverly High Football schedule, scores, and opponents from the previous year. Running her finger down the list of names, Clover stopped on the one she thought was the right one.

"I think this is their previous school. We missed that game because we had that mission to Paris, remember. When we returned Mandy told me about that game. I didn't pay any attention to her at the time because I thought she was being her usual obnoxious self, however, I remember she seemed a bit depressed that Monday following that game.", stated Clover.

Three heads looked down at the name of the school and the score. When she saw the numbers there, Alex whistled in amazement. According to the score printed in the yearbook, Bev High had lost that game 56-24. Lifting her head, Sam thought back to that week. As editor of the school newspaper, she had talked to the reporter and photographer who had been at that game and recalled that the camera-guy had been amazed at the moves the quarterback had made that game. If he wasn't making the Bev High defense look bad with his passes, he was either running them into the ground himself or had his teammates running. She also remembered that the camera guy (Carlos something or other she recalled with a bit more clarity) had even mention that the opposing quarterback had let one of his receivers run a few plays with him setting up as a tight end, one of which lead to a touchdown by the opposing nose tackle after a lateral.

"Clover, didn't Sean say that he had been a quarterback?", asked Sam.

"Yeah, why'd you ask?"

Looking at one of the pictures that was in the yearbook from the season, Sam stretched one of her fingers out and indicated a photo where the quarterback had taken off his helmet and was standing on the sidelines.

"Take a look at that picture and see if you recognize anyone."

Clover looked down and did a double take as the brown hair in the color picture registered. It seems that camera-guy Carlos had been angling for a photo of the Bev High team as they set up for one of the plays that lead to a touchdown in the losing effort. The intense look on Sean's face as he studied the field was a bit hard to reconcile with the usual grin she found out was Sean's normal expression.

Thinking about the football game and now knowing the name of the school the three guys had attended the previous year set Sam to remembering about a game during basketball season that her and her friends had actually made. Flipping a few pages and reaching the section for the basketball team another color photo jumped out at her. Verifying something after checking the basketball schedule and scores, Sam pointed at a picture of J.T. caught in mid-leap as he blocked the shot of one of Beverly High's best basketball players.

"They beat us in basketball that year as well. It wasn't a runaway but it was one of the closest games Bev High had played. I know you remember that game well Clover, one of the other's team's players collided with our cheerleaders while trying to save an out of bounds ball."

"Yeah, he knocked Mandy over just as she turned. He helped her up afterwards and even came over after the game and apologized. ", chuckled Clover as she remember the exasperation and embarrassment on Mandy's face after she hit the ground and was helped up.

Listening to her friends Alex felt a sense of dread. As one of Beverly High's best female soccer players, she remembered taking a road trip with her team to an away game with the guys team where they had lost a hard fought 3 to 2 match that had been played in atrocious weather. It had started raining during the last half of the girls game and by the time the guys started to play, the field had been soggy and in the driving rain players had been sliding all over the place. Alex had remembered the women's game because it had been one of her best. She had scored twice in a four minute period and her team had gone on to win 4 to 3. After taking a shower to wash off the sweat from the game Alex and her teammates had sat in their warm-up suits and watched the guys lose. One of the players for the opposing team had scored the winning goal securing his hat trick for the day.

"Sam, turn to the page for the soccer team. I bet anything that there is a picture of D.C. scoring the game winning goal that day. ", Alex asked.

Casting an odd look at the dark-haired girl sitting to her left, Sam turned to the pages Alex had requested. There, sitting in full color was D.C. shooting from the right side. It wasn't the picture Alex had thought it was but it was still a photo of him scoring. Looking down at the photo credit, Alex saw that her name was the one underneath the picture and sat back and tried to remember where she had been and what she was trying to get a picture of when she took it. Nodding at the memory, Alex thought more about that game.

"Dominic got a yellow card for a rough tackle that game. He wasn't too happy about it and almost got red carded till one of his teammates calmed him down. I remember because it gave our guys an indirect free kick that led to their second goal. Later that year, that team won the state championship for men's soccer while we won it for women's soccer. I bet he is still waiting for his championship ring to come in like I'm waiting for mine. I think that it was his third state championship for his school. In the state championship game, D.C. went all out. He was all over field making plays and keeping the morale of his team up. In the end, the championship game went to penalty kicks after ninety minutes and a 0-0 tie. He won the game with a left footed shot that blew past the goalie into the upper right corner. I believe that kick of his was clocked at close to ninety-five miles an hour.", commented a slightly depressed Alex.

Clover was thinking back to some of the things she had seen in the house as Sean had gave her a tour. When they had stopped in his room for him to grab something out of his closet, she remembered looking at a picture sitting on his dresser. As Sean had come out of his closet, she had asked him about the photo and he had told her that it was a picture of him and his baseball teammates before a game. In the picture Clover had also seen J.T. kneeling in the middle of the first row and D.C. standing in the second row in the right corner with a bat over his shoulder.

"Sam, go to the baseball team pictures. I bet that there is a score there from when Bev High played their high school."

"I don't have to go to that page. I remember that game very well. They had massacred our team something like fifteen to seven. Three of their players hit homeruns and one of them blasted a grand slam over the centerfield fence and bounced the ball off a passing car.", winced Sam as she remembered reporting that game.

"Yeah, I remember that one. Those guys were stealing bases left and right. Their pitcher confounded our best hitters. He had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning when Tommy Kurtzmann hit him in the arm with a ninety-seven mile per hour fastball. Luckily for him he was wearing a forearm guard. It still almost caused a fight though. After the seventh inning, I think they pulled him and moved him over to first base where he nailed our best player in a pickoff attempt.", shudder Clover.

For a moment the three were silent as they thought about that then Alex yawned and stretched. Seeing that the vivacious girl was exhausted, Clover and Sam decided to call it a night as well. After checking to make sure all the doors were locked and all the downstairs lights were off, the trio wearily climbed the stairs toward the second floor. At the landing, they separated with each spy turning towards her own room. With goodnights from Clover and Sam ringing in her ears, Alex turned out her light and let the soft green glow from her nightlight guide her to the full-sized bed in the middle of the room. Tumbling into the softness, Alex reached a hand out and scrabbled for the remote to her stereo on the night table. Pressing the power button, she turned on the music and snuggled herself up in her sheets.

_**"At least Clover didn't turn the air conditioner on too low tonight. Last night I could have sworn that she was trying to freeze Sam and I."**, mused Alex as she yawned again and let her breathing settle into an easy rhythm. _

Minutes later the only sound in the villa was the snores of three girls; spies for the top secret international spy agency WOOHP. As Sam, Clover, and Alex slept, they dreamed many things. Soon some of the things they dreamt about would come true and they would see their new neighbors in a new light, light that may or may not cause them to loose their lives for a most compelling reason, and a most surprising future.

**_And with that sentence I bring to an end the first chapter of my Totally Spies story "Agents and Operatives". I started this story because I wanted to diversify my writing style a bit. I know that I did not catch the personality of Clover, Mandy, Alex, and Sam exactly the way they are portrayed in the show (In fact I think I completely bombed out on that part of my story. Maybe my writing will get better as this story moves along.) _**

_**My idea in writing this story is to attempt to put the three protagonists in a situation where they will have to make a devastating choice and the changes they will undergo as the choice is made and the effect is has on their personality's afterwards. Some of you will probably figure out what I am leading to before I finish this story and I hope that you are not disappointed. To those of you who want to wait and see how things end up, please give me a chance and let me know what you think. I accept any and all criticisms as they will help me form this story to the best of my ability. **_

_**I bet some of you are wondering why I am mostly focusing on Alex. Well, the reason is that I'm kind of partial to Alex and in some of the episodes I've seen, poor Alex has gotten the raw deal and the wrong end of the stick. In other episodes I know she has been the heroine of the trio but I figure that with where I am going with this story, Alex will be the one most changed by the decision she'll have to make. **_

_**As always, all mistakes are mine and I apologize for them. Please enjoy this story. Thank you very much I greatly appreciate your comments and suggestions. **_

**_Sincerely yours: Knightewolfe_**

_**Knightewolfe's Lair**_

_**21 August 2006**_

34


	2. Chapter 2

_**Totally Spies**_

_**Agents and Operatives**_

_**Chapter Two**_

The clock on the wall was showing three a.m. when the black painted civilian Kaman Seasprite helicopter flared out for a landing on the WOOHP Headquarters rooftop helipad. With its running lights dimmed to their minimum the only thing the pad crewman saw was the helicopters' outline. Waving his lit wands and getting the attention of the flight crew, he guided the helicopter in to its spot before crossing his arms and signaling for the pilot to shut down his engine. Seconds after receiving a quick flash of the pilots' position lights in acknowledgment, the whine of the engine and the slapping of the rotor blades changed as the engine spun down and the blades slowed. Once the blades had stopped and the only sound the pad crewman heard was the whining of the auxiliary power unit, he felt it was safe enough for him to approach the aircraft. As he approached the cabin, the side door came open and the crew chief tossed out three black duffle bags and three hard shell weapons cases. As the last case was hitting the ground, the pad crewman heard a muffled snarl.

"Dammit, be very fucking careful with those weapons! Yeah they're unloaded but for Pete's sake, still be careful with them!"

"Calm down man, calm down. He's just as exhausted as we are and he's ready to get home!",came another voice from inside the dark cabin.

"Yeah, yeah I know but sometimes it chafes my hide when people don't appreciate other peoples' stuff.", retorted the first voice.

"Chill out dude. Our mission was successful. We offed the main threat and caught his right hand dude. Although I think he may have a concussion after you slapped him so hard with that sap. You know that the bosslady wanted this guy alive and not too badly hurt so the boys and girls of interrogation could slip him a few cc's of sodium pentothal and find out everything he knows. It wouldn't surprise me if Trigger Zero reprimanded you again.", stated a third voice from further back in the cabin.

The helipad crewman just shrugged his shoulders and continued on with his job. He recognized the three voices; they were one of WOOHP's better assassination teams and went about his business. If his bosses wanted him to know more about the conversation, they'd tell him when his rotation as helipad staff was over and he returned to his main job as a field analyst. Doing a visual inspection of the aircraft, he noted that it was time to take this particular Seasprite offline so some of its radar avoidance black paint could be reapplied and the light bulbs for the running lights be replaced. They looked dimmer than usual.

Approaching the cockpit, the crewman saw that the three members of the assassination team had disembarked and had picked up their equipment bags before heading to the elevator that would take them to the locker room where they could change out of their raid suits and grab some coffee. Coming up on the right (pilot's) side of the chopper, he waited for the flight crew to finish their postflight checks and climb out. While he waited, the crew chief caught up to him and discussed some minor repairs that were needed for the passenger compartment. He wrote them down on his clipboard and informed his airborne opposite number that this helo was going to be taken offline.

"Good, I think the pilots have a few gripes about this bird as well. Check with them and get back with me. On my way down, I'll inform the mechanics to break out the tools so they can start work the minute you get it down there.", replied the crew chief as he lifted a cigarette pack from one of the pockets of his grey flightsuit and shook out a smoke.

The ground crew guy shook his head when the chief offered him one then pointed him in the direction of the smoking zone over on the far side of the pad. The chief thanked him and walked in the direction indicated. He knew that there was a railed walkway that ran around the edge of the helipad but was below the level of the landing zone. Back at the aircraft, the ground crewman was able to catch up with the flight crew and together the three started talking about the status of the aircraft as the flight crew did their own walkaround inspection.

"As we were approaching the extraction zone, I noticed that the exhaust temperature was a bit high. I wasn't sure so we babied it on the way back. Hopefully it isn't a major gripe. But I know that the mechanics will wanna take care of it.", stated the female aircraft commander as she took off her flight helmet and let the breeze blow through her shoulder length hair.

"Yeah, I saw that as well. Plus some of the instruments were reading low. We got a low oil pressure light on approach to the pad. The crewdog noticed it and informed us via the intercom system.", added her male co-pilot.

The ground crewman nodded as he made some more notes on his clipboard before handing it over to the pilot so she could initial it for the records department. She initialed the documents and agreed with the pad crewman's decision to take this helicopter off of flight status for an extended maintenance period. With that finished, the pilot sent her co-pilot off with a copy of the paperwork to put in the head of the organization's air operations department to inform him that one of the WOOHP Seasprites was gonna be hard down for maintenance. Another copy of the report would find its way into the files of the maintenance crew while a third copy was headed to Jerry and a fourth copy was kept in the helipad operations office at the far corner of the pad. The fifth and final copy of the report would stay with the aircraft and be added to its flight history folder.

"Do you'll think they'll give us the upgraded J-series engines this time? I'm hoping so, this is my favorite bird and I want it to be ready when it gets back from maintenance.", asked the pilot as she followed the pad crewman towards the office and locker rooms in the squat concrete block sitting directly across from the helicopter.

"I dunno. I'll see about bribing those guys downstairs to do the engine upgrade while its offline. I'll also try to pump the boss for the glass cockpit upgrade as well. You never know. And don't worry; I already got you penciled in as pilot in command for the post-maintenance check flight."

"Oh good, I can't wait for that. How long do you'll think it will take?"

"Hmm it may take upwards of five months before she'll be finished and ready for the check flight. We've got to order the parts and get them here and the guys downstairs gotta strip that bird of yours down and prep it. That will probably take at least two to three months by itself. . I know the ops manager has been campaigning for some bigger fuel tanks for the 'sprites to increase their range. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll install some on this bird, once again you never know. Until then I think that several of the Dauphins and a couple of the tilt-rotors will be flyable. I also know that a Jayhawk, a Sea King, and a Huey will be coming back online. I know you're qualified to fly all of those so you'll get to choose. Confidentially, the Huey has some seriously upgraded engines. She'll be online by tomorrow afternoon. If you act quickly I can pencil you in for the post-maintenance check flight for that bird as well."

"Really, what's the rumors on that one?", asked the pilot with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"Maintenance shack rumor is that with its upgraded engines, this Huey's gonna be an aerial hot rod; even more so than usual. Already some of your peers are angling to be the first one to pilot it. If you want in on that battle you might want to get here early."

"How early should I get here?"

"Why don't you arrive around five thirty for a brief and a six fifteen or thereabouts launch. If I know the grease-monkeys, they ain't gonna release that chopper any earlier than five fifty-five just to be sure everything is on the up and up. That way you can get your inspection and preflight done and five minutes after it reaches the roof you can be off and flying, much to the chagrin of the others."

"Hmm, sounds good. The next pilot up can check out the Jayhawk. I want that Huey!"

The pad crewman grinned and nodded and as they approached the line shack on the pad, he waved goodbye at the pilot and returned to his post at the night desk so he could be there for the next covert helicopter landing. A quick glance showed he only had three more hours of his shift to go. Starting up another pot of coffee, he leaned back and turned the volume of the air to air radio up so he could hear the next in range call. The flight schedule posted on the desk next to the handset had three more flights scheduled to come in before his shift was over. He settled in for the long wait.

**Monday 7:30 AM Beverly High School Student Parking Lot**

Sam, Clover, and Alex stared in askance as they saw the line of girls standing near the student parking lot. Many of the girls seemed to be waiting for something while it looked like the others were there to check out what was going on. There were some guys there as well. Alex turned to Clover and commented on the crowd.

"It looks like Mandy struck again and blabbed about the new students arriving today. Hell, many of the girls out there are single and want to be the first ones to meet Dominic and the others. I'd hate to think about what's going to happen when they arrive."

"I know and I had hoped that this time, Mandy would have tried to at least keep it somewhat quiet. Heck, if she hadn't been at the cookout Saturday, we might've been able to sneak them in under the radar. The school gossips are going to have a field day with this.", agreed the blonde with a frown on her face.

Sam nodded in agreement and pointed out the guys grouped around the stairs to the student parking lot as she maneuvered their car into a vacant space near the front of the lot. Clover turned to Sam before she cut the engine off and gestured at an empty spot over by the motorcycle parking area. When the redhead looked that way, she saw that three motorcycle spots were left and quickly tumbled to her friends' idea. Reversing the convertible and moving it over to where Clover had pointed out the empty space, Sam beat a few of her classmates. Ignoring the feminine middle finger prominently extended her way; she shut off the car and climbed out. Next to her, Clover propped herself up on the door while Alex sat on the tonneau cover for the ragtop. Crossing her arms, Sam indicated the guys along the railing and commented on that crowd. None of those gathered there looked particularly friendly.

"Hey, it looks like some of the guys want to check out the competition. I hope that they don't decide to start anything.", commented Sam.

"Yeah, the majority of those guys are on the football team. I see a couple of the basketball players and three of the soccer team. Oh yeah, Tommy Kurtzmann is there as well with some of the baseball team. I definitely want to see what his reaction to Dominic and friends will be.", added Clover.

Alex just nodded in agreement. With classes starting in about thirty minutes, the three spies knew they had about fifteen minutes before they had to make their way to their first class of the day. Sam had Advanced Chemistry; Alex had English comp while Clover had History. They would meet after first period on their way to the cafeteria for a quick bite before going to their shared Algebra class. The plan had been for Alex and her friends to meet Dominic and his friends before school and show them around before dropping them off at the office so they could get their class schedules. Once first period was over, the trio of spies was going to meet up with the guys and show them where their classes were. All the time they were hoping to avoid Mandy. Unfortunately, Mandy had negated that plan and now they were wondering what to do. As they talked, Sam looked up and spotted their nemesis heading their way. As usual, Mandy was dressed to the peak of perfection in the best fashions money could buy. This time, she was wearing slim black jeans with a short sleeve white silk shirt covered by a black cashmere sweater vest to set it off. On her feet were some high dollar Italian flats that fit her dainty feet perfectly. On her right wrist was a diamond tennis bracelet with a matching analog watch on her left.

One thing about Mandy, she knew about fashion and knew how to use it to her advantage. She looked at the three girls gathered around the convertible and snorted. Clover had on a pair of electric blue Capri pants and a short sleeved blouse. On her feet she had a pair of cross training tennis shoes. Sam was wearing a pair of black denim jeans and a blue denim shirt with a rhinestone pattern on the shirt pocket. She had on some high top tennis shoes to help her keep her footing in the chemistry lab. Alex was wearing a sleeveless yellow blouse and a pair of dark khaki pants with some suede calf-length boots. Together they looked quite fetching but compared to Mandy the girls' outfits were more subdued.

Seeing that her nemesis was on the prowl, Clover sniffed in disdain before ignoring her altogether. The long-haired teen narrowed her eyes and made a cutting comment about rudeness before shifting her attention to Alex. As Mandy's dark eyes narrowed in on her, Alex did her best to stand up to their laser-like intensity. Giving a little shrug of nonchalance, Alex waited for the question she knew Mandy was dying to ask.

"So Alex, do you think that your new friends are coming or did you just hire them to spite me?", asked Mandy.

"Mandy use your head for more than a hat rack for just a second willya! Why would Alex do something as heinous as that to spite you? You do that well enough on your own. Besides, your quarrel isn't with her, it's with me so back off you spoiled brat!", snapped Clover as she shot an angry glance at Mandy before returning her attention to other things.

Alex sighed in relief as Clover grabbed the verbal upper hand in their ongoing petty competition; she really didn't want to get dragged into it this time, although at other times she would've been more than happy to jump in. For her part, Sam agreed with her friend but didn't comment. She was busy catching up on some studying and surreptitiously checking the time. Noticing that it was getting closer and closer to time for bell to ring, Sam saw that if her and her friends were to wait any longer they might be late for class themselves and that irked Sam a bit, she hated being late for anything. Turning to Alex she asked a question.

"Didn't you try to call them last night and remind them about the necessity of their being on time for their first day of school, Alex?"

"Yeah, I tried but nobody answered. Late yesterday I went by to see if they were at home but the house was dark. They might have gotten off from work waay late and just didn't answer the phone. Want me to try and call D.C.'s cell?", replied Alex as she reached into her purse.

"Yeah, see if you can reach them. Don't be worried if they don't answer, they might be on their way and you know how the highway patrol are about people driving while chatting on their cell phones.", stated Sam.

"The boys also might not answer if they're on their bikes. Just looking at those machines of theirs and one could see that they would be a handful to ride if one hand was busy answering the phone.", added Clover.

Mandy gave her annoying laugh and was about to comment when she saw Alex cock an ear to one side and listen as she brought her phone up to make the call. Grinning in relief, she replaced the pink flip phone and offered up a beauteous smile. Reading their friends' thoughts and now becoming aware of the approaching noise themselves, Clover and Sam high-fived each other. Lithely swinging herself over her closed door and dropping to her feet, Clover dusted some imagined specks of dirt from her pants and grabbed her book bag from the back seat next to Alex. Alex rotated her legs to the drivers' side and slid out ending up standing next to Sam. For the moment she left her small duffle bag sitting on the back seat floor and leaned back against the car with one leg bent at the knee and her foot propped up and resting on the gleaming red paint job. Sam scowled a bit but let it go when she saw what Alex was unconsciously attempting to do.

With her leg situated as it was, Alex's pants tightened against her athletic legs giving the illusion that they appeared tighter than they actually were. As Sam continued to observe, Alex lifted her arms and drew her blouse tighter against her chest thus emphasizing and accenting her bust without being obvious about it. Inwardly Sam grinned at Alex' attempts to make her already attractive form even more appealing.

_**"Alex may not know it and definitely won't admit too it but she actually outdoes Clover with that pose. What makes it more interesting is that she doesn't even know that she's doing it. Damn girl, you're getting good at this seductive siren stuff.",** mused Sam as she closed her textbook and grabbed her own backpack from the vehicle. _

Mandy didn't miss the interplay between her rival and Sam and wondered what was going on. She knew it had something to do with the guys she had met Saturday evening but wasn't sure what exactly it was it did with them. Putting one hand with its delicately manicured fingers on her hip, Mandy turned to her two friends and lifted an eyebrow in question. Shrugs greeted her unasked question and she faced back forward and caught Alex's position shift. Knowing Alex as she did, even Mandy was impressed with her new found skill at looking more appealing than she actually was.

"**_Whaddya know, Alex has unconsciously learned from Clover about body language and is making it work for her. Even I have to admit that with her trim form from playing soccer, she pulls that move off better than I can. Crap, this raises the level of competition even higher. I don't know what I'd do if that redheaded amazon Sam gets her act together. With her height and natural gracefulness, she will present even a greater threat to my popularity than either Clover or Alex. And with them already being popular of their own accord, I see a shift in the popularity polls within the coming future."_**

Mandy scowled at the thought running through her mind. She was about to turn and leave the trio with her lackeys in tow when her ears caught the high pitched whine of motorcycle engines. Glancing at the three girls gathered around the car she saw looks of anticipation on their faces. Something clicked and she realized that the new students almost the entire student body at Bev High had been waiting for (due to, in no small part of her spilling all to some of the other -less popular- girls at school) were about to make their long awaited appearance.

As the quartet of girls waited, the sound of buzzing engines got louder and crescendoed to a nearly earsplitting roar. Sam nodded to herself as she checked the time. Alex caught the gesture and asked about it.

"The boys know they're running late and are trying to make it here on time. They must've guessed the time and sped up. I don't think they expect this audience though.", answered the tall redhead as she lifted an arm and waved it in the direction of their schoolmates.

Alex could see what Sam meant. The crowd must've heard the bikes themselves or noticed that the girls had shifted their attention towards the parking lot entrance. Among the male athletes gathered in the crowd a rumble of conversation had commenced but was soon cut short by a sharp glance from baseball team captain Tommy Kurtzmann. Returning her gaze back towards the parking lot entrance, Alex adjusted her position a bit and waited. She and the rest of the crowd didn't have to wait long.

The first of the new students to appear became visible and Alex felt her heart start to race. In her vision she saw the graphite colored helmet and something just told her that it belonged to Dominic. Right behind him was the gold helmet of Justin. Sucking Justin's exhaust fumes was Sean's red helmet as he tried to maneuver his R6 to the inside of the Gixxer 750. JT. wasn't having it and cut off the inside line. However, that move cost him the little bit of the ground he had gained on D.C.'s Daytona 675. A collective gasp went up from those gathered as the rider of the grey bike leaned it so far over his left knee scraped ground as he entered the parking lot. A huge sigh of relief arose when the grey bike returned upright without a wobble and some of the other bikers nodded in appreciation. They had just seen an elitist whose skills outdid their own.

D.C. eased off his throttle and lifted his face shield up as he looked over his shoulder as his two friends made the turn. Sean's rear tire smoked as it started to slide and Sean gathered it up before losing it in a low side slide off. Since his 750 was on the outside of the 636, J.T. had eased up before making the turn, thereby going wide to allow his partner the extra room. Seeing that if he hadn't relinquished his line, the R6 and the Gixxer would have had an impressive meeting (much to the detriment of their riders), Justin eased up and didn't make as much of an in-extremis turn as Sean.

Once his two friends had pulled into the parking lot and slowed down, D.C. returned his attention to the spaces ahead. Coming around a turn at about ten miles an hour, he saw a trim figure waving her arms in an attempt to get his attention. Lifting his left hand from his handlebars, D.C. returned the wave. As he got closer to the girls Dominic noticed that they had parked their car next to the three remaining motorcycle parking spots. Toeing the bike into neutral, he used the remaining momentum to pull in. Pulling the brake lever with the first three fingers of his right hand and pressing his right foot down on the brake pedal, D.C. brought his bike to a halt next to Alex. Putting down his kickstand, he shut the British three cylinder machine off and doffed his helmet. Next to him, Justin and Sean were pulling in and repeating his moves. By the time he had ran a hand through his perspiration soaked hair, his partners were standing beside him bickering good-naturedly with each other. D.C. joined in the friendly insult session before slapping J.T. and Sean on their backs and turning his attention to Alex.

"Yo, what's up?", he asked as he took his backpack off and placed it on his bike.

"Not much, just wondering when y'all would get here. As it is, it's almost time for the bell to ring.", replied Alex nonchalantly while stretching her arms and sliding her raised leg down to the ground and crossing it with its khaki encased twin.

Alex watched as Dominic's eyes strayed down at her slim legs and came back up to her chest before returning to her eyes. Seeing that he was a bit affected she suppressed a grin. Behind her, Alex could here Clover chastising Sean for his recklessness. Sean was replying that he knew what he had been doing. A light slap was heard just before Alex recognized the sound of Clover's giggling. Right beside her, she could hear Sam and Justin conversing about his class choices. Sam was making suggestions and Alex snickered as she heard Sam angling to get J.T. in a few of her classes. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw Mandy fuming at the fact that she was being ignored. Taking a small pleasure in that, she studied D.C. a bit more as he zipped the part of the bag holding his helmet closed and hitched the thing up on his right shoulder as if it weighed no more than a feather.

D.C. turned his attention back to Alex and saw that she was observing his movements. Wearing a pair of slate grey jeans and a light blue shirt covered by a black leather vest, D.C. gazed around and saw the peanut gallery of students watching him and his buddies. Taking in the obvious looks of pure lust cast their way by the girls gathered around and indifferent to the looks of others, Dominic snorted. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alex turn lithely and bend over to reach for the bag resting on the floor of the car. He allowed a quiet growl of male appreciation slip out as his eyes followed her khaki-covered backside. Bent over as she was, Alex stifled a chuckle as she heard Dominic's reaction to her movements. Turning around and lifting her bag to her shoulder in one flowing movement, Alex caught D.C.'s face as it returned to its usual expression. Slipping him a coquettish wink, she exulted in the slight spot of red that appeared on his cheeks and as quickly disappeared.

_**"Damn, she caught me. Alex either knows or suspects I was daydreaming about her, awww hell. I'm gonna hear about this for days to come."**, thought D.C. as he resettled his bag on his shoulder. _

Feeling a bit left out of all the tentative steps of seduction being played out in front of her, Mandy tapped a foot on the asphalt in anger. She was just about to cut in with a snide remark when the bell rang and the gathered masses exploded into a frenzy trying to get to class. Growling deep in her throat because her chance at infringing on the burgeoning relationships was again denied, Mandy whirled on her heel and stomped off. With one last look, her friends followed meekly behind her.

On the other side of the car, Clover had monitored Mandy's aborted insult and grinned evilly. Mandy had just lost some major points in their eternal popularity competition. Smirking in her victory she strolled from her position on the passenger side of the car with Sean in tow. Tuning in to the conversation, she could hear J.T. and Sean teasing D.C. about something minor.

"You owe me twenty bucks Sean! I told you he would notice her and try to play it off.", trumpeted J.T.

"Nah, I don't owe you anything! You had inside information and that makes the bet null and void!", returned Sean.

"Don't even play like that, Sean. If you'd have had the inside information you would have used it to your advantage as well. And for your own information, I didn't have the inside on that. I'm just more observant about things than you are!", Justin shot back with a grin taking the sting out of his words.

Clover turned to Sean and asked him what this was about a bet. As they rapidly walked to the stairs from the parking lot to the hallway, Sean answered her with a grin gracing his features.

"Justin and I made a bet on old stone face's reaction when he saw Alex. I bet that he would react to her appearance first. Justin bet that when she moved he would react. I had the edge till I saw Alex lift her arms and stretch her legs out. Even if he was the coldest man alive, there was no way Dominic wasn't going to react to that. Alas I lost and I'll have to pay up later but its okay, I've been on a winning streak lately. So its of no consequence.", commented Sean as he took the first step.

Ahead of the four teens and with Alex a step behind him, D.C. snorted in amusement as he heard the friendly bickering dissolve into spontaneous laughter. He was going to add in his own comments when his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure standing at the top of the stairs.

Thomas Kurtzmann glanced down at the young man carrying the bag on his shoulder as he approached the top step. As the features became more distinct, he thought back to the last baseball season. When he glanced down again, the guy in front of him wasn't wearing his jeans and shirt combo, he was dressed in the dark blue and grey of an opposing high school and was facing him sixty feet six inches away. Tommy remembered pitching his opponent a screwball with the bases loaded and his team in a dire situation. He frowned as he remembered the bat coming around to meet the ball. Tommy cringed at the tinging sound the aluminum bat had made when it connected with his pitch and sent it out of the park. He shuddered in reflex as he watched the ball reach the apex of its climb and start to drop behind the fence four hundred and twenty-five feet away to thump on a passing car.

Tommy groaned as one batter ended his fame as one of two high school pitchers to never give up a grand slam in a game. Tommy also remembered the sickening thump of ball meeting protected skin and the accusing glance thrown his way when a few innings later he intentionally threw at a batter for the first time in his high school baseball career.

For his part, Dominic remembered the pain when the 97mph fastball thrown by this guy hit his forearm guard with enough force to bruise the arm underneath. Even now, he unconsciously rubbed the spot where the contact had been. On many occasions since that day D.C. fantasized about what he would do to the guy if he ever met him in person or on the field again. His actions ranged from beating him up to being magnanimous and letting the matter drop as a dead issue. In the end, D.C. decided to let things happen as they happen and flow with it.

Tommy glanced at Dominic and saw him rubbing the area he had bruised back then and his shoulders slumped in disgrace. He knew he shouldn't have thrown that pitch but he'd been furious and had lost his cool. Deciding to salvage something from this (all the while expecting to be knocked on his ass), Tommy reached into his own bag and pulled out the guilty ball from that game (he had picked it up after the game and kept it as a reminder to not loose his cool again). Tossing it up and down in his hand as he waited for D.C. to clear the top step, he ran through dozens of scenarios in his mind about what he was going to say. Tommy was surprised when the first words out of his mouth weren't the ones he had decided on.

"How's the arm?"

Dominic looked sharply at the pitcher saw that his words were sincere and decided to reply in kind. Maybe they would get past this since they were going to be playing on the same team this year.

"It's okay. No permanent damage."

"That's good. Here catch, I think that belongs to you.", stated Tommy as he underhanded the ball to D.C.

D.C. caught it with the arm the ball had bruised and glanced down. The ball looked innocent as it sat in the palm of his hand. Only a fellow baseball player, and more specifically a fellow pitcher, could appreciate this little sphere that when thrown at speeds approaching a hundred miles an hour and over became a possibly deadly unguided missile.

"Nah, you keep it. You'll need it to practice with for the upcoming season.", replied D.C. as he returned the ball with a grin.

Tommy caught it and offered up his own grin. He was about to say something when D.C. just held up his hand.

"Don't worry. What's in the past is in the past and needs to stay there. I got over it a long time ago. You need to do the same.", D.C. stated by way of explanation.

Tommy nodded and held out a closed fist. Dominic bumped it with his own and watched as his fellow pitcher left for class. Behind him D.C. heard a snort and surmised that it came from Sam.

"Now that all the male-bonding bullshit is done, you three need to get to the office pronto and get your class schedules, while we three need to make tracks for our own respective classes."

A chorus of groans and protests from Clover, Justin, and Sean met Sam's ears. D.C. just smiled and backed her up. Turning to face Alex, his eyes softened as he could see her expression. Resting a hand on her shoulder, D.C. let his thumb run over Alex's collar bone in a subtle caress and jerked his head in the direction of the classrooms. Leaning closer and bending down, he told her to go ahead and go to class.

"We'll be okay. Go ahead; you don't want to be late. I know you and the others want to go with us to the office but to do that now would be a detriment to your learning experiences. Besides, we'll figure out the way to the office on our own."

"Well okay. If you say you'll be alright", stammered Alex.

"We'll be alright. And we'll see you at lunch. Now get going woman!", stated D.C. with a grin.

Alex returned the grin and dashed off in the direction of her English Comp class. Sam and Clover followed their friend for a bit before breaking off and heading to their respective Advanced Chem and History classes. Dominic watched the girls run off and saw his two partners glancing wistfully in the same direction. Wrapping one arm around Justin and the other around Sean, he put them both in a pair of friendly headlocks.

"Now what's this I hear about you guys making a bet on me? I wanna hear all about it.", growled D.C. as he tugged both of his friends in the direction of the office.

Even though all three boys were in exceptional shape, there was nothing that Justin or Sean could do to wrangle out of the headlocks and resigned themselves to be towed along till D.C. decided to let them go. The hallways echoed with the sounds of their pleas and D.C.'s laughter as they went on their way.

A couple hours later Alex, Sam, and Clover met up at their respective lockers and talked about the events of the morning so far. Dialing in the combination on her lock, the blonde opened the locker and placed a couple of textbooks inside while Alex leaned against her own locker and Sam stood in front of the pair with her arms crossed. Clover finished what she was doing and pulled her head out of the locker and turned to Sam.

"I wonder where the guys are. I wish we'd gone ahead and risked being late for class and found out which classes they were going to have.", stated the blonde as she ran a hand through her hair.

Yeah, I know Clover but we couldn't risk it. We'll just have to roll with the punches. They did say they were going to meet us for lunch anyway, you can ask Sean his class schedule then.", replied the red head.

Alex nodded and was about to change the subject when a familiarly annoying laugh echoed from around the corner. The three spies shared long-suffering looks and waited for what kind of insults Mandy was going to heap on them this time. Curiously Mandy's voice didn't seem to be getting closer. Her locker was only a few lockers away from Clover's and she knew that her rival would usually be here around this time. This site had been the site of many a showdown between Mandy and Clover as well as being the site where they were usually WOOHP'ed to Jerry's office without warning.

Clover looked at Sam and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't make out what her rival was saying. Seeing the look on Sam's face it was obvious that Sam didn't know either. The blonde and the redhead turned to their black haired friend to see if she could hear what was being said. They were about to ask Alex about it when they saw the look on her face. Alex was concentrating but she wasn't concentrating on Mandy's voice, she was concentrating on other voices that were answering Mandy. It took her a second to recognize them but when she did an absolutely feral look came over her and she made her way around the corner with the heels of her boots hitting the floor with an angry clacking sound coinciding with each step. Sam looked at Clover and arched an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I dunno but let's go find out before she gets herself in trouble."

Sam nodded and together they walked around the corner after Clover closed her locker. They weren't more than fifteen paces around the corner when they suddenly stopped. There standing in the hallway with an increasing look of malice distorting her normally easy going expression was Alex. Alex was looking at what could be described as amusing if D.C. and his friends weren't gathered around the prime subject.

It seemed that one of Sam's reporters for the school newspaper had gotten wind of the three new students and had decided to interview them about their views on their transfer to Beverly High. The reporter had missed her chance in the student parking lot due to the crowd already gathered there. She'd been waiting for them as they approached their new lockers and had started to interview them. A small crowd had gathered and Mandy, not one to pass up on free publicity, with her usual grace and aplomb had bullied her way to the fore. D.C had just turned to face the reporter and photographer with his arms outspread as if to ask what she wanted. Whereupon seeing her chance, Mandy had flung herself in his arms like some damsel in distress. Before he'd realized what was going on, Mandy had wrapped her arms around his neck and that was when the photog had snapped the picture. It was just seconds after the picture had been taken when Alex had came upon the tableau and stopped short.

D.C. had just answered a question and was about to confront Mandy about her actions when he caught a glimpse of Alex over Mandy's head and cut himself off. Seeing the expressions that flitted across her brown face, D.C. realized that he had to act quickly to avert a catastrophe in the hallway. Brusquely pushing Mandy away to the angry growls from some of her admirers, he took a step in Alex's direction but stopped when she stalked past him without as much as a word. Close behind her came Clover and Sam with confused looks on their faces. They didn't know what Alex was going to do and that worried them.

For her part, Alex was feeling an emotion for Mandy she had never felt before. A full on rage was boiling in her gut and all Alex wanted to do was wipe the smug look off of Mandy's face with her bare hands. Alex didn't know why she felt this way but she just knew that she did. And to her it felt good, damn good! Pushing past D.C. and ignoring his words Alex stomped right up to Mandy. With a fist clinched beside her, Alex waited for Mandy to take notice. When the other teen started to turn in her direction, Alex brought her fist back and was bringing it forward. Behind her, Alex heard Clover shout.

_"Oh Shit!! Alex, Don't do it!!"_

With inches left to go before her fist made contact with Mandy's face, Alex rejoiced in the look of pure unadulterated fear she saw in the other girls' eyes. Just shy of her fist making full extension contact, Alex felt someone grab her wrist in a secure but non-hurtful way. She struggled against the force being exerted and slowly felt her will to pummel Mandy fade. Turning to see who had kept her from making the biggest mistake of her eighteen years, Alex focused her attention on the hand that held her wrist. Masculine, dark skin, small scars from who knows what; with those critical thoughts running through her mind Alex followed the hand and arm with her eyes and refocused on their owners face.

_**"Why am I not surprised? Why'd it have to be him?"**, thought Alex as the incandescent rage flowed through her once again. _

When he had grabbed her wrist Dominic had felt the tension fairly dancing in the nerves below her skin and knew that she was seconds away from committing a major blunder. He gave her a chance to calm down and focus on his face. D.C. knew the moment Alex recognized his face. The tension she had felt fading just seconds before, again set in and her eyes flared into the white hot rage he recognized from earlier. Once he saw the hatred light up her eyes, Dominic braced himself for what he knew was coming. Before he could get his empty hand up to block, something exploded against his cheek with the force of a small nova and for the first time in eighteen years alive he saw stars during the middle of the day..

The hallway had gone silent at Alex's reaction so the sound of her hand smacking against his cheek resonated around the gathered crowd. Clover and Sam slid to twin stops with identical gasps and looks of astonishment flitting around their faces. In their time as friends neither of them had ever seen Alex as angry as she was at that moment. Even Mandy was stunned by the force of Alex's slap as it detonated across D.C.'s cheek and rocked his entire six foot two and a half inch; two hundred and thirty-five pound frame like a gust of typhoon wind blew a delicate flower. In the silence that followed the only words spoken were the ones by D.C.

"You feel better now?"

The softly spoken words jarred Alex back to the present as if she was waking from a nightmare. Looking around in a daze she saw that everyone in the hallway was staring at her in amazement. Confused at the attention, Alex wondered what was going on. When her sense of touch informed her that her wrist was being held, she turned to see who it was that was holding her wrist. Upon recognizing D.C. she started to ask for him to clarify what was going on when she saw the beginning of the bruise on his face. To her it looked suspiciously like handprint. She was going to question him about it when in her peripheral vision, Alex saw her other hand.

It was poised as if from the follow through from a slap.

At that moment the implications at what had just happened became clear; somebody had slapped Dominic. All that flew through her mind in a millisecond and what had been nagging at the back of her mind coalesced into a thought of pure dread. So unnerved and ashamed at what she had done, Alex never felt her wrist drop from D.C.'s grip. Lifting a trembling hand to her lips as she took in the damage that she had caused to his handsome face, Alex backed up until she couldn't stand to be in the same area as her lapse in judgment. Once she was far enough away, she turned and took off to go hide from the shame of her actions. Sam and Clover took a few steps in chase but stopped when D.C. spoke in an emotionless yet commanding voice.

"Let her go. She needs to be alone to work this out. Sam, Clover don't worry about her, she'll be alright."

"But D.C, we've gotta find her before something else happens.", protested Clover.

"I said let it go. Things heal, bruises fade; we'll get over it."

"Dominic….", started Sean before he was brusquely cut off.

"Sean, I said let it go. And I meant let it go. It's of no consequence.", snarled D.C. as he whirled on his friend fast as lighting.

Seeing the look in D.C.s eyes and knowing that once he said he wanted something dropped, he meant it, Sean let his shoulders slump. Glancing at J.T. in resignation, he slowly shook his head. Turning to his new locker, Sean continued with his task of putting his books up. Clover tried to change his mind but Sean shook his head again.

"Clover, if Dominic says to drop it, he means drop it. And if he says everything will be alright all you can do is trust that everything will be alright. I know you don't like his reaction but that is the way he is and we'll just have to trust his instincts."

Clover continued to protest but Dominic tuned her out and letting his cool gaze drift over those who had witnessed the altercation. He kept the look locked on his face until the crowd had dispersed leaving him, Sean, and J.T. alone in the hallway with Clover, Sam, and the instigator of the entire mess. Ignoring Mandy for the moment, Dominic placed his new books in his locker and closed it. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans the teen pulled out his class schedule and perused it intently. Sean and J.T. took one look at their friend with his head bent down over the small rectangle of paper and hurried their preparations. When they were done they quickly left the area with Clover and Sam in tow. Justin tossed a rapid farewell over his shoulder.

"We still on for lunch, D.C? If we are then we'll see you then."

A grunt was his only response.

Left alone in the hallway with Mandy, Dominic waited without saying anything. It was a tactic designed to make people say something to fill the silence. Mandy had been caught out by Alex's reaction and was still trying to get her breathing under control. Alex's loss of control had scared her nearly out of her wits.

_**"It was only by the grace of god that Dominic was there to stop her. Her fist had been seconds away. If Alex had connected, I don't think anyone would have been able to stop her in her state of mind. I guess I'll consider myself lucky and take advantage of this while I can."**, mused Mandy._

Thanking her lucky stars for the save, Mandy reached out to properly thank D.C. Her hand was halfway to its target when his voice stopped her cold and sent a chilling blast down her spin.

"_Never. Do. That. Again! _And never presume to touch me in that or any similar manner Mandy. Next time I won't stop her. Remember that.", D.C. stated with a cold finality.

And with that, the boy turned on his heel and stormed off in the direction of his class leaving Mandy to fume at his dismissal. Gritting her teeth and scowling in the direction D.C. had gone, she whirled on her friends and muttered under her breath.

"If he thinks he can make me feel like Jimmy Jackass, he has another thing coming. I'll destroy him and his friends along with Clover and her two friends. I'm the undisputed queen of this school and _I Will. Get. My. Way!"_

Mandy's two friends looked at the light in Mandy's eyes and shuddered. The battle between Mandy and Clover just took a turn for the worse. They knew that Clover was going to retaliate and they weren't looking forward to Mandy's answering salvo. With a worried look at each other, Mandy's two friends followed her down the hall to their next class.

It was lunch time at Beverly High and most of the gossip rocketing around the cafeteria was about the arrival of the three new students and their impact on the female members of the student body. Additional gossip in the lunchroom was about the raging temper shown by Alex towards Mandy. Those in the know (i.e. the popular student clique) figured that it wouldn't be long before Clover retaliated and they were speculating on what kind of form that expected retaliation would take.

At their usual table Clover and Sam were digging into their five star meals while J.T. and Sean looked dubiously on. The boys had been astonished that what was on their plates was what was actually on the menu.

"Y'all really eat this well at lunch every day? Sheesh, at our old school this would be what the teachers would eat while us students dealt with 'mystery meat' spaghetti. Here you have real spaghetti and Swedish Meatballs, I can't believe it.", stated Sean.

"Me either and you can go back multiple times, a true buffet style lunch; D.C.'s gonna flip out! At our old school the only way you could get seconds was if you paid for another lunch.", added J.T.

Clover and Sam grinned at each other as they ate. Clover turned to the two guys and simply stated.

"This is Beverly High School, baby! Here we do things with style!"

Justin and Sean just shook their heads and ate more of the delicious pasta and the thick sauce that covered the huge Swedish meatballs. The quartet ate for a little while longer before they tumbled to the fact that the noise level had decreased and was steadily going down as everyone glanced at a new arrival. Ignoring the murmurs that surrounded him, Dominic gazed around the cafeteria and spotted his friends before grabbing a tray and making his way in their direction. Setting his tray of food down on the table, D.C. settled his big frame into the chair next to Justin and with a subdued greeting started to eat. While he ate, D.C. was aware that Sam was staring at the fading red mark on his cheek.

"It's okay Sam; I've been slapped harder than that. Although out of the numerous slaps I have received since I've been in school that one ranks up there with the hardest slap I've ever received. It'll heal. Give it a couple of days and you'd never believe that I'd been slapped.", said D.C. with a chuckle.

Caught out, all Sam could do was shake her head and marvel at his resilience. The five teens ate together with a minimum of conversation. Outside the cafeteria Alex gazed longingly at her friends and wondered if things had changed between them because of her actions that morning.

"Things won't ever be the same now.", Alex muttered to herself.

"If you keep hiding out here instead of going in there, you'll be right Alex. But if you go in there with your head held high and not let the murmurings of others bother you, then things will go back to being the same between you, Clover, and Sam. If they're your friends like they have been, they'll accept this new facet of your personality and move on. I don't know what the thing is between you and him but I do know that Mandy, as her wont when it comes to her and Clover, saw an advantage and took it. She suspects your feelings for him even if you don't know for sure yet and in doing what she did saw a chance to strike at Clover through you.", stated a voice behind her.

Alex turned around and saw Tommy Kurtzmann, the star pitcher of the baseball team, leaning against the cafeteria's exterior wall with his hands behind his head. He wasn't looking directly at Alex but he could see her out of the corner of his eyes. Embarrassed to be heard talking to herself, Alex's face turned a bright red. She stammered a bit but Tommy just shook his head and pointed into the cafeteria.

"Just go in there acting like nothing happened and everything's normal. See how long the gossip will last. D.C.'s already let it drop and doesn't hold you responsible. He knows or is learning that Mandy's a snake and will do anything to advance her own cause. Why do you think she told the majority of the girls at school about him and his friends? Mandy was angling to step right in to a relationship with them that would boost her image. If she hadn't done it with D.C., she might have tried to take Sam's place next to Justin or Clover's place next to Sean; although I think that if she ever attempted that, Clover would hand Mandy her head. Don't let this little incident ruin the burgeoning relationship you have with him. Into every relationship a little rain must fall. This will only make your relationship stronger. And if it doesn't at least he knows that you have a strong left hook.", stated Tommy with a humorous lilt to his voice at the end of his statement.

Alex was curious about his statement and asked.

"Oh, he and I have third period advanced French together. Did you know that he speaks French almost fluently? Dominic seems like a cool guy. I can't wait till baseball training starts. Dominic, Justin, and Sean will be incredible assets for our team."

She nodded in agreement and watched as Tommy walked off. Deciding to take her chances and follow the advice given, she rolled her shoulders back and straightened her posture. She replaced the frown the graced her face with a regal, queen-like smile and made her way through the door. With steady footsteps, Alex got her lunch and headed for their table. Ignoring what was being said by the others in the cafeteria, Alex made her way to the seat next to D.C. Settling in, she listened as the conversation she had interrupted restarted. Seeing the cautious looks from Clover and Sam, Alex waited before turning to Dominic and asked to see his class schedule. Studiously ignoring the fading handprint on his face she glanced at the slip of paper in her hand and commented on a couple of his classes.

Across the table, Sam and Clover were listening in and when D.C. and Alex started a discussion of their own both girls breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was back to normal. Returning their attentions to the J.T. and Sean (both of whom had 'I told you so looks on their faces') they continued their four way discussion about some inconsequential stuff. As their four tablemates became more animated and joking and paid less and less attention to his and Alex's conversation, D.C. reached a hand out under the table and took a hold of Alex's hand. Giving it a slight squeeze and running his thumb over her knuckles. Releasing her hand, Dominic brought his hand back on top of the table and took a hold of his cup and raised it to his mouth for a drink.

It had taken all of her skill to not jump when under the table she had felt D.C. take hold of her hand and give it a squeeze. When she felt the roughness of his thumb run over the back of hand she felt as her actions from earlier had truly been forgotten. When the bell rang ending the lunch period, many of those in the cafeteria saw that Dominic and Alex had gotten a little bit closer together. They weren't an 'item' per se but those in the know guessed that it was just a matter of time before the star of the women's soccer team and the new student were officially going steady. And some people couldn't wait till that moment. It looked like it was going to be one hell of a relationship. Many of their classmates believed that the burgeoning relationships between Alex, her friends, and the three new guys (whose names were just starting to circle the campus in tidbits of gossip) would last past high school and far into the future.

"I wear my sunglasses at niiight, so no one can see into my eyes. I wear my su-un-un-unglasses at niiight!! I wear my sunglasses at night to block out the hypocrites and parasites!!", sang J.T. as he walked out of his last period English Comp class with Clover half a step behind him.

He waited for Clover to make her way to his side before heading in the direction of his locker to pick up his helmet. As they walked, Clover and Justin talked about their friends; unspoken agreements between them to let what happened between Alex and Dominic earlier fall by the wayside. After hearing Justin's singing (which was okay but Clover preferred Sean's voice to Justin's'), the blonde was more than ready to hook up with Sean. Approaching Clover's locker, J.T. and Clover saw that Sean, Alex, and Sam were already there. Like his buddy, Sean was singing but Clover didn't recognize the song. Greeting the others while opening her locker, Clover didn't bristle when Sam gently-but subtly-edged her out of her position next to Justin with her hip. She knew that she would have done the same thing if Sam and Sean had been the ones arriving instead of her and Justin.

"Where's D.C., I thought he would be with you two since the three of you had debate class together?", asked Clover as she closed her locker and leaned against the locker bank.

"He would've if he hadn't impressed the debate teacher with his knowledge in certain areas. When class ended, she all but begged him to join the debate team. Dominic said he'd think about it and get back to her. Personally, I think he'd be perfect for the debate team. He would be my best competition in the National Forensics League. Dominic is good, damn good.", answered Sam while watching Clover and Sean unobtrusively sliding closer to each other.

"How good is he, Sam?", asked Alex. She'd been watching the interplay between her friends and felt a slight flash of jealousy rampage through her.

"Alex, Dominic is so good that he would make a great lawyer. As you know in debate class we're doing a mock trial. Since both Sean and D.C. are new they sat out and listened to what had been going on till today. It took all of fifteen minutes before D.C. understood enough and asked to join the trial as one of the attorneys. When we took a short break, Dominic joined the defense team and discussed the case with them for a bit before sliding into a chair at the defense table. Once the break was over, Janine Carson asked if D.C. could replace her as the lead defense attorney. Since I'm playing the judge, I saw no reason not to let him to do so. I believe it was a big mistake on my part. Up till that point the mock case looked like a lock for a finding of guilty. Dominic jumped in and proceeded to tear the case made by the prosecuting team apart. In the end the mock trial ended on its sixth day with the addition of one person. Ohhh I can't wait till I face him in our next mock trial. It's going to be a good one. I think that the professor is planning on having the entire school witness that one with the principal presiding.", stated Sam.

Alex nodded and closed her locker. She had been the first one to arrive at the lockers and had exulted when Mandy had passed by looking to see if Alex was demoralized by events from earlier. Alex hadn't said anything and had only offered her a grin before proceeding to ignore her entirely. Waiting by their lockers for about five minutes before Sean and Sam showed up from debate class, Alex had organized her homework so she could get right to work on it when she got home. Listening to Sam and Clover, Alex had a sudden thought and groaned. Today was the day they had to report to WOOHP after school for this 'special training' with agents from another department. Sam caught her groan and questioned her about it.

"Remember what you told me about today after I got home Friday night?", answered Alex.

Sam looked questioningly at Alex for clarification as she found herself trying to remember when Alex flashed her x-powder before slipping it back in her purse. Like a million volt lightning bolt, clarity hit Sam and she nearly groaned aloud.

_**"Aww damn, I forgot about the special training that Jerry mentioned we were going to undergo to day. And if I forgot, I know Clover's forgot as well. Now how do I remind Clover without blowing our cover?", **thought Sam furiously. _

An idea came to her in a flash. Sam just hoped that Clover would catch on. Digging in her own purse, Sam pulled out her own x-powder and passed over to Clover.

"Hey Sam, I've got my own compact why're you passing me yours?", asked Clover in confusion.

"I got that new foundation powder you wanted to try."

"What new foundation, Sam? I don't need any new foundation powder. I'm happy with what I already have."

Alex dropped her head and Sam stifled the groan that was welling up in her throat. Clover could act like a typical blonde on occasion. Granted it worked well when they used it on missions but now wasn't the time for her slip into her blonde naïveté mode. Thrusting the compact in Clover's direction Sam tried again.

"Clover you told me on Friday you wanted to try this new foundation, X-Powder by your favorite cosmetics designer Jer-Ray."

Clover was confused and it was beginning to bother her. Sam usually wasn't this pushy. She seemed intent on handing Clover her compact. Behind Sam, Clover could see the strained looked on Alex's face and wondered why. Justin and Sean were standing around with bemused expressions on their faces at the situation. Mentally going over Sam's words, Clover rearranged them in her mind to get them to make some kind of since. Glancing at Sam once again, she saw the compact in Sam's extended hand and idly pushing it aside for the moment, Clover kept on thinking about Sam's words.

By the look in her blue eyes, Sam and Alex could see that Clover still didn't get what Sam was trying to say without blowing their cover. Mentally devising all sorts of torture for Clover's one track mind when it comes to guys, Sam and Alex were seconds away from losing it. Seeing Clover glance at the compact in Sam's hand once again, Alex was appalled when Clover started to open her mouth and say something.

Clover was still trying to wrap Sam's words around in her mind when she glanced once more at the small object in Sam's hand. It looked a bit familiar and she started to comment on it.

"Say, Sam isn't that your…?", Clover started but trailed off when she saw Alex's frantic shaking of her head causing her short black hair to bounce around.

It was then Clover realized what her friends were trying to tell her. Sam had been trying to remind Clover about the x-powder call from Jerry on Friday night without blowing their cover in front of the guys. Feeling sick at what she had very nearly done, Clover visibly wilted much to Sean's surprise.

_**"Oh Shit!!!! We Have Special Training Today at WOOHP Headquarters!! That's What Sam Was Trying to Tell Me. And I Forgot!! Oh Damnit!! And I Nearly Blabbed About the X-Powder!! Double Dammit, Sam's Gonna Skin Me Alive!!!",** thought Clover as she wondered what her next move was going to be._

Sam just about cried when she saw the understanding in Clover's eyes. The blonde had recognized the x-powder (and nearly blown its cover). Letting her friend take the compact into her own hands, Sam waited to see how Clover would react. Clover's next words told Sam how her friend was going to play it.

"Oh yeah, Jer-Ray's new foundation powder. I forgot about that. Isn't he giving out some more samples at his office today?", Clover weakly replied.

"Yeah, you were telling us yesterday how much you wanted to get some of your own and Sam told you about the free sample giveaway today.", chimed Alex as she sighed in relief.

"Okay, meet me after cheerleading practice and we'll make it shopping spree."

Clover sighed as her friends said okay. She still saw the fire in Sam's eyes promising retribution for forgetting and then nearly blowing it and knew she had a long night ahead of her. Thankfully she was saved as a whistling Dominic strolled up from around the corner where his own locker was.

D.C. had been approaching from the end of the hall when he heard Sam first start talking about compacts and foundations and stuff. Being the guy he was he didn't know half of what was being talked about between the girls, however his well-trained ears had caught the barely noticeable tinge of stress and panic in Sam's voice. Settling in just around the corner and out of everyone's direct line of sight he listened to the conversation and figured out that whatever Sam was talking about she was trying to get Clover to remember it without J.T. and Sean tumbling to the discussion going on right under their noses. A quick rustling sound had confused him for a moment before he identified it as a rapidly shaken head. Narrowing his eyes as he guessed that one of the girls was doing the head shaking to warn Clover not to say what she was about to; D.C. listened harder but couldn't figure out the gist of the conversation. Deciding to make his appearance, D.C. took a few silent steps down the hallway to give the impression that he hadn't been eavesdropping. Re-approaching the intersection, Dominic started to whistle and made his steps echo around the corner. He was sure that Justin and Sean would recognize his footsteps. Taking a step around the corner, Dominic allowed his gaze to flow over the gathered teens as if nothing had happened. In that seconds gaze, he saw that Sam and Alex were trying to rearrange their facial features into studied nonchalance while Clover looked as if she had suddenly gotten sick.

_**"I wonder what caused the sick expression on Clover's face?",** thought Dominic. _

D.C. was about to greet the others when he felt a vibration against his side where his cell phone hung. Plucking it from its side clip-on holder, he saw that he had a text message. Flipping open the phone, he checked the message. What he saw didn't make him particularly happy. Sean and J.T. saw the look on Dominic's face change from a subtle grin to a forced one and knew that the message wasn't particularly good. With sideways glances with each other, they wondered what Dominic's family wanted this time. Justin took a step towards D.C. and lifted an eyebrow. D.C. saw the raised brow and answered the question it implied.

"The colonel's dropping in around ten tonight. He wants to see the house, check on me to make sure that I'm alright so he can tell mom dearest, and he wants to talk about my future. Specifically a certain part of my future.", stated D.C. as he eased to a halt a few steps away from Alex.

"What part of your future does he specifically want to talk about?", asked Sean as he shifted his book bag to a more comfortable position on his shoulder.

D.C. took in the looks of the three girls and replied in a different language. The raised eyebrows of both J.T. and Sean told D.C. that they understood. Sean rattled off a quick query in the same language but D.C. shook his head quickly. He'd talk about it when they were at home away from the girls. Switching back to English, Dominic changed the subject. Clover tugged on Sean's shoulder and asked him about D.C.'s reaction.

"Oh, it's just that D.C. and his dad don't particularly see eye to eye on some things. D.C. also knows that when his dad said he drop in, he meant it literally and that has him worried."

"Why does it have him worried about his father dropping in?"

"Clover you aren't listening. When I said that the colonel was literally dropping in, I meant it. The colonel is going parachute into our backyard around ten this evening."

"Oh, I see.", replied Clover even though it was readily apparent that she didn't.

Sean turned to Justin and Dominic and caught the tail end of a quick conversation.

"Static line or HALO?"

"You know the colonel. He says HALO or nothing as usual."

Justin winced before looking at his watch. He turned to Sean and tapped the instrument strapped on his wrist. Sean looked and swore. He was going to be late for practice. Turning the corner and sprinting off, Sean stopped at his locker for a second to drop his bag in before heading for the practice field. Two steps behind but at a more sedate pace came Clover. She knew that she was going to be late for cheerleading practice but if things ran true to form, Clover also knew that Mandy would have them spending more time watching the team practice than actually practicing. Alex and Sam followed their friend. They usually would wait for Clover to finish practice before heading home. Sam used the time to get some of her homework done while Alex just hung out. With Justin and D.C. with them though, the two didn't know what to do. D.C. saw the dilemma and looked at Justin over Alex and Sam's head.

"Snackage run?", he queried.

"Snackage run!", Justin replied.

"Race ya?"

"Sure, why not. What're the stakes?'

"Oh, I'll think of something."

D.C. chuckled and turned back towards the lockers. Alex caught his movement and asked about it. His answer deflated her a bit but she shrugged it off.

"Oh we're going to go grab a bite to eat. And I figure that you and Sam want to talk amongst yourselves for a bit. So J.T. and I will leave y'all to it so we don't hear anything embarrassing. Don't worry will be back in enough time to hangout with y'all till the end of football practice. Then the three of us have gotta go to work. The boss has us on desk duty today so we gotta be on time."

Before letting him go, Alex gave D.C. a quick hug then stood next to Sam as the two of them watched both boys walk back down the hallway. Once they had disappeared from sight, the two girls turned around and continued on their way to the field. Sam was already mentally editing a report about Sean's first practice with the team and what it could mean for this football season.

Three hours later Alex and her friends were walking through the passageways of the WOOHP Building on their way to Jerry's office. When they entered the head spy greeted them as he usually did before a mission. After a few minutes of catching up Jerry made a call and told his spies that the head of the department that they were training with would be right them. A few minutes later, Natasha Michelle Simonov entered the office.

Upon entering the office and seeing the three spies, Natasha didn't bat an eye. She had known who and what they were when she saw them at the cookout. To her the girls looked capable enough of working within the parameters of the training they were about to receive. However, she wasn't as sure that they would do what needed to be done if they were ever called on to work with her wet work teams. Natasha was confident that neither of the girls would recognize her from the cookout two days previous. Her hair had been in a different style then and she had thickened her accent to the point where they had been barely able to understand her. In addition, Natasha had made herself appear younger than she actually was with a little help from her vast experiences out in the field. Turning to Jerry, she spoke.

"So, Jerry these are the spies that I've heard so much about. They don't look like much to me. According to the files you've sent me they seem capable enough. Granted their youth is an asset since in our line of work youth can be a big plus.", stated Natasha matter of factly.

"Yes Natasha, these are my spies and the top undercover agents in WOOHP. Well next to your 'Foxfire' team, that is. But you must consider the different missions my agents and your operatives are sent on. I daresay that compared side by side, Foxfire team and my spies are equal in abilities. Its just the missions that I have your department do are a far cry from the missions my spies participate in.", stated Jerry in his cultured English accent.

Natasha nodded in agreement. She knew that capture missions were inherently more dangerous than some of her departments' assassination missions. But dems da breaks, it's always been easier to eliminate an enemy than capture him and bring him back for incarceration. Leaning against Jerry's desk she listened as Jerry explained about the training exercises to come.

Sam was beginning to get a bad feeling in her gut as she listened to Jerry expound on the training that they were going to participate in. Ever since the older woman had walked in Sam had got the feeling that this Natasha had done things for the organization that were better off not talked about. It wasn't something blatant per se; it was more of the nonverbal cues that Natasha gave off. First of all, Natasha walked like a cat. When Natasha moved it was more like she was stalking her prey than walking normally. Wracking her brain to try and remember if anyone she knew walked that way, with a minimal amount of energy wasted; Sam had a short burst of memory from back when she and the girls had just started performing missions for WOOHP. It was maybe their third or fourth month and they had just finished their training on observing those around them. The three had entered the office to see Jerry about something and he had came from around his desk to prop himself up on the edge like he occasionally did. Jerry had walked the same way. Nowadays that trait had all but disappeared but it sometimes showed up when he was stressed about a mission.

The second thing that Sam had noticed was that no matter how she walked, her right hand never strayed too far from her side. That alerted her that Natasha had something concealed there. Sam didn't know what it was but she could guess. Some of the agents at WOOHP did the same thing and on one occasion Sam had inadvertently seen such a concealed weapon when the gust of wind had blown open another field agents' jacket and she had gotten a glimpse of the big pistol sitting in a leather holster under his left arm.

The third and final thing that peaked Sam's uneasiness about Natasha was her smile. Natasha's smile never met her eyes. Her eyes always appeared calculating and observant. With a start, Sam realized where she had seen some of the similar traits that Natasha was exhibiting recently. J.T., Sean, and D.C. walked and smiled the same way. The three guys always walked on the balls of their feet and their smiles rarely reached their eyes. Even when Justin directed a smile her way, it rarely reached his stormy seagreen eyes.

Hearing the last of Jerry's short lecture, Sam returned her attention to Natasha and Jerry. Natasha was explaining something.

"For the sake of security, you three won't get a full briefing until we get to my office. At that time you can ask all the questions you want and I'll answer the ones I can without violating security to the best of my ability.", stated Natasha before turning her attention back to her boss.

Jerry nodded then addressed GLADIS.

"GLADIS, password two five niner delta golf omega, distribute the girls their gadgets for the training exercise."

The gadget lending and disbursing inventory system acknowledged and a ceiling panel above Jerry's desk opened obediently. From the open panel, three heart shaped backpacks appeared before each teen held by two of GLADIS' metal appendages apiece. As Sam and her friends accepted the bags, GLADIS went through what was contained within.

"For this training, you will be issued your basic mission gadgets that you would usually receive on an actual mission. Other necessary gadgets will be issued from my subsection program in Ms. Simonov's office. Also for the purposes of this training your usual red, green, and yellow spy suits have been replaced. Ms. Simonov will explain the reason for his change in detail in her office.", state the female sounding mechanical voice of Jerry's GLADIS program.

Alex and the others accepted their packs and thanked GLADIS for issuing them. Situating the bags on their backs, the three girls turned back to Jerry when he called them.

"Good luck spies. I'll be waiting to hear from you once your training session is over. Ms. Simonov, I'll be waiting for your report on the feasibility of your suggestion by the end of the week."

Natasha nodded and promised that he would have it. He also reiterated his warning from Friday when she had brought her plan up with him. The three spies observed the cryptic exchange before Natasha exited Jerry's office and made her way towards a bank of elevators. At the elevator bank, Natasha pressed a button and a cover slid back and revealed a small keypad. Hiding the keypad with her body, the older woman punched in her password before turning to the three girls standing behind her.

"Sorry, but in my department we're very conscious of security. Once you enter our department area you'll have to spend a few minutes getting cleared. Jerry's password upstairs cleared you so that our entryway systems would recognize you. However to advance past the front desk you have to submit to a bio screen examination that will program your retinal patterns, speech patterns, and biomedical patterns be allowed. I'm sorry to see that this exam does include a physical where you will be asked to disrobe and be examined. Don't worry, the exam room is very private and my own personal doctor will conduct that part of your physical. Its okay, I have to go through the same thing every month."

"Why do you have to go through the same process every month if you are the department head?", asked Clover.

Before Natasha could answer, their ride arrived with a subdued chime. The four women climbed aboard the elevator and Natasha keyed in her code again. As she did so a panel next to the floor indicator buttons quietly slid open and their escort reached into the pocket of her suit coat and withdrew a key. Placing the key in the spot provided she gave it a twist. The elevators computer beeped in acknowledgement and another voice announced their destination after closing the elevator doors. As the elevator began to move, Natasha turned to her charges and answered Clover's question.

"As you know Clover, your body as well as mine goes through complex chemical and physical changes each month. The sensors in my department are programmed to register my biorhythms on a monthly basis due to these changes. All of my female operatives have to do the same thing. Those changes change little parts of my body and as such are themselves a security device."

"How so?"

"If me or any of my female agents were kidnapped by organizations hostile to WOOHP, those organizations would most assuredly try to get into our most secure files by slipping in a doppelganger. They wouldn't take into account the changes in a woman's body chemistry from month to month. Not taking that into account and not knowing about our security system here those hostiles - or packages as we refer to them in my department - would be out of luck if they tried to infiltrate a double. Our security systems computer would detect them in a heartbeat and after capturing them we'd kindly turn them over to Jerry and his men after interrogating them on the whereabouts of our missing person."

Sam was following along the explanation pretty well since her background in chemistry had touched on that topic. She had winced, as had Clover and Alex, when Natasha had mentioned the monthly changes in a woman's physiology. As she listened and nodded in agreement to the explanation, Sam asked a question.

"What about the males in your department? Don't they have to go through the same type of exam?"

Natasha smirked as if she was taking revenge on the guys who made fun of the females' exam in her department.

"Yeah they do and their examination is worse than ours. Their physical exam is a bit more intrusive. And you know how guys are about intrusive examinations. They can get quite violent about them."

Alex, Sam, and Clover nodded. They suspected about how intrusive a guys physical can get. In their three years of high school, the three spies had heard some of the male athletes at Beverly High get apoplectic whenever a physical was hinted at. Letting the rest of the elevator ride pass by in silence the spies were still caught a bit off guard when it jerked to a hard stop and unbalanced them inside the small cube. Even Natasha tried to regain her balance and she'd been expecting the jolt. Before the doors opened, Natasha told her charges one more thing.

"Once you pass through these doors into this high security area, you cannot and emphasis the 'cannot' tell anyone about what goes on down here. The only person you could even talk about it without compromising our security is Jerry. And he doesn't have a need to know every little thing about what goes on here. Another thing, in my department people are not called agents like you're used to. Their called operatives or operators. Please remember that."

The teenaged trio glanced at each other and nodded. When their heads stopped moving, the elevator doors slid open quietly and they followed Natasha as she made her way across the floor. Along the way, the three heard their escort answering and asking questions. One thing they noticed was that no one used her real name, preferring to either call her boss or Trigger- Zero. When asked about it, all Natasha would say on the matter was that it had been one of her code names when she'd been in the field.

Natasha led the way towards a set of big burly looking men by a table standing with their hands crossed in front of them and wearing sunglasses and dark suits. As they approached, the one on the right took a look at the girls and raised a hand. In a surprisingly soft voice he made a request.

"Ladies, please put your bags on the table for inspection and step back."

The trio looked at Natasha and she nodded in confirmation. Reluctantly, they placed their GLADIS issued bags on the table and did stepped back as they had been told. Once the bags were on the table, dark suited guy number two stepped up and examined the contents of the bags rapidly and thoroughly. When he was finished, Dark suited guy number one (according to Clover's murmured sentence) stepped back and handed the girls their bags. Satisfied that none of their stuff in the bags compromised security or safety, he lifted his hand to his ear and made a quiet call. Sam heard a door unlock and watched as Natasha commenced walking towards a door that the muted lights in the area had concealed. Sam turned to her friends.

"If they hadn't unlocked that door we would've never seen it. Down here they take security seriously in this department. I wonder what kind of work they do for WOOHP?", asked Sam sotto voice.

"I don't know but whatever it is, I have a feeling that this training is in preparation for one of their missions instead of one of ours.", stated Clover.

"Yeah, I mean did you see those two gorillas that searched our stuff. They were big but the one who did the searching was competent and I bet that when he and his partner move they move like anything but gorillas. And did you notice that everyone in this department moves rapidly but without wasted motion? It's like a gathering of cats or wolves or something.", added Alex.

Her two friends nodded as they followed Natasha through the newly revealed door. Once through that opening a woman in a white lab coat lifted her head from where she had been studying some files. Seeing her boss and three others, she pointed towards another door.

"Follow the boss through that door and place your belongings on the table provided. Once you've done that, strip to your skivvies and I'll be along shortly. That means you too, Natasha.", said the doctor in a ringing alto.

For the first time since they've known her, Natasha looked at a loss for words. She tried to stammer something but the doctor cut her off.

"I've been going over your medical file boss and its close enough to that time that I decided to go ahead and get your exam done and the security systems upgraded with your new readings at the same time as I took care of these ladies. It'll be easier getting done today and not having to worry about it later when its time. That should make all of our jobs easier. Besides Foxfire just came through about an hour or so ago."

"Really Kimberly, and pray tell why did they come through here?", asked Natasha.

"They returned from their latest mission very early this morning and skipped out on their after mission exam. You know that after that other mission awhile back, Foxfire Lead had that wound that dropped him in intensive care and hid it from you. When you found out you ordered them to go through their after mission exams the minute they got into the building. I found out about it earlier and tried to call them to come in, but you know those three."

Natasha scowled; she was going to have a little talk with her three operatives about ignoring procedures.

"Yeah, I know those three better than anyone in the organization. Foxfire would sell their own grandmothers to the devil if it meant that they didn't have to go through pre and post mission exams. I'll deal with them before the evenings' out, okay?"

Doctor Kimberly nodded and watched as the four women left for the exam room. Returning her attention back to the files at hand, she finished updating the ones about those Foxfire guys and replaced them into the file cabinet. Picking up the four remaining files, she rose from her seat and headed for her next subjects.

In the exam room, Alex, Sam, and Clover watched as Natasha took off her suit and took a seat on one of the chairs provided. Doing as they had been asked by the doctor and stripping to their underwear after dropping their bags on the table, the three girls waited for the doctor to enter and commence their exam. When the doctor entered, Natasha requested that her exam be taken care of first so that the girls could see how it was done. Kimberly agreed and reached into her pocket.

Alex had gazed around the room on entering and had spotted the security camera sitting in the corner. She was about to protest when she saw the red recording light go out and heard a voice through a hidden speaker. The static-filled speech told her that whoever was speaking was using a voice changer.

"Security camera shut down, recording in exam room two ceased for privacy."

As the three spies watched, Natasha submitted to her exam. She had been right, the exam was very thorough. Doctor Kimberly checked everything and everywhere and compared it to her notes in Natasha's file. When it was time for the girls' examination, the doctor pressed a button and a keyboard slid out from the desk. Beside it sat a microphone. It became apparent what the microphone was for when the doctor began her examination of Sam and started speaking into the device. Natasha explained.

"Kimberly is speaking directly to the secure file part of the computer system. She's giving her observations. Those observations will be added to file when she programs it into the computer. Next time you come down, you won't have to go through this mess again. However if you're training takes longer than a month, you'll have to submit to this again next month. I know it sucks but like I said, we're very security conscious here."

It took a little over two hours to finish all of the exams and once the doctor left the room with her files, Sam and the girls wasted no time in replacing their clothes and grabbing their bags. Natasha waited for them to finish then lead them out of the exam area. Back in the main room, she turned down one of the corridors and headed for a nondescript door at the end of the hallway. Turning the knob, she tossed her keys on the bookcase next to the door and headed for the executive chair behind the desk. Taking a seat, she indicated that the spies do the same thing. Running her hands through her hair and sighing, she pinned them with a gaze that spoke wonders and finally gave up the name of her department.

"Welcome to WOOHP's 'DILJO' Division, ladies. And I hope you learn and enjoy the training you are about to commence. Although there will be times during this training you'll call me every name in the book and then some.", said Natasha expansively.

The three spies blinked as one then turned to each other and talked among themselves. As expected, Sam took the lead and asked the question Natasha knew was coming.

"DILJO Division, what's the DILJO Division?"

"The DILJO Division is the most secretive of all departments in WOOHP. If you haven't figured it out yet, DILJO stands for 'Dirty Little Jobs. Ladies you've just entered the world of WOOHP's black ops and wet work."

"Black operations and wet work, what are those?", asked Clover.

Sam who was mentally putting things together in her mind figured it out and explained to her friend. As she did, the queasiness she'd felt earlier came back ten times as strong as before. She looked at Alex and saw by her expression that Alex had figured it out as well. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to have fazed Alex as it did Sam.

"Clover, black operations are operations so controversial that they are never mentioned to anyone. Not even those in WOOHP. To know about these operations you have to have a high security clearance. And as the head of WOOHP, Jerry has the highest clearance there is.", answered Sam.

"I kind of figured that out already Sam. I mean with all the security we've had to go through it was very obvious. What I'm talking about is this 'wet work' Natasha mentioned. Does it mean that we're going to spend a lot of time around water or something like that?", exclaimed Clover.

Sam was about to elaborate but Alex cut her off.

"Clover, 'wet work' is the laymen's terms for assassination. DILJO specializes in making problems disappear. Permanently disappear. The Dirty Little Jobs Division is WOOHP's assassination department.", stated Alex.

"Meaning?"

"What that means Clover is that whereas in your missions you've brought back the enemy alive. In ours, the enemy is permanently eliminated.", came Natasha's cold voice.

Clover finally understood and it made her think about the ramifications of that one phrase. Before anyone could say anything in the silence that followed, the intercom on Natasha's desk went off. She answered and allowed the girls to listen in.

"Boss, Foxfire is about to start their training exercise in subbasement seven. Do you wish to observe?"

"Yes, pipe the video to my office. I'll observe from here with my guests. They need to see this as well. My guests will be participating with Foxfire later in their training. Right now I want them to get a feel for Foxfire's teamwork."

"Yes ma'am, is there anything else you need?"

"Yeah, have the armory send three training weapons to my office. I need the armorer to go over those lasers with my guests. And have Shelly the supply lady grab my guests' measurements from the doc. These three need DILJO specials. When Shelly gets those, have her place them in three empty lockers in the female dressing area. My guests will be there shortly. Oh yeah, please bring my tea tray and four mugs. I think my guests are going to need it.", stated Natasha.

"Yes ma'am everything's being taken care off. Once I get the locker combinations from Shelly I'll bring them in for your guests. The armorer will be there with the training lasers in fifteen minutes."

Natasha thanked the faceless voice and shut off the intercom. Rotating her chair, she pressed a button on one of the armrests. As the chair rotated to face the back wall, a monitor slid noiselessly down from its stowed spot in the ceiling. Natasha pressed another button and the screen came alive.

On the monitor was an overhead view of several rooms. Each room had two or more guards either standing guard or making rounds. The spies recognized it as a floor of a building although they didn't know where that particular building was located. Natasha started to explain about the scenario.

"In this scenario, Foxfire has to infiltrate the building and eliminate the head of an enemy organization. In the real mission my team made a few mistakes but was able to complete their mission. Here they are redoing the mission to try and figure out where they made their mistakes. Once they find those, they will meticulously go over them so that if they are ever activated for a similar mission, they'll recognize the mistakes and be able to avoid them."

The three girls nodded and started to follow the action on the screen. Seeing that they were having a hard time following the progress, Natasha gave a couple of verbal commands. One command shifted the playback on the screen to her desk. The next command changed the viewing perspective from two dimensional to three dimensional. The three spies sighed in relief as everything on the screen became a bit clearer with the shift. Sam and the girls could follow the action a bit better as they watched the rooms, guards, and the Foxfire guys projected up from a projector buried in Natasha's desk.

For the next few hours Sam, Alex, and Clover observed Foxfire in action as they reran their mission several times as they found and analyzed each mistake they had made during the actual mission. During all of this observation, the supply department delivered the weapons Natasha had requested. Natasha went over the weapons (which were highly modified Laser Tag style-rifles) and the departments' version of the spies' mission suits. When Natasha was sure that the spies knew their equipment down pat, she sent them to the locker room where they could put on their suits and the vests that went with the rifles and prepare for their introduction into the world of wet work.

"And remember girls, Foxfire will be observing you as you go through your scenario. Once you've either succeeded in your objective or failed, Foxfire will debrief you as you change in the locker room. For your privacy, Foxfire won't be able to see you. In addition, both your voices and theirs will pass through a voice changing device so that neither team will recognize the voices of their opposite number..", said Natasha as she watched the three spies make their way out of her office.

"Alright Natasha, we understand and we'll try to do our best.", Sam answered for her friends.

Natasha's only response wasn't verbalized. All she did was just gaze at the teenagers with an expressionless face. Alex involuntarily shivered as she watched the door close; cutting off the glacially cool look the head of the wet work division gave the trio. Turning to the blonde and redhead next to her, Alex indicated to Sam that she was ready. Sam nodded and the trio of girls followed their escort to the locker room where they would change into their outfits for the training.

Over in the men's locker room, the members of Foxfire were changing out of their blacksuits and into their everyday street clothes. The team leader was sitting on the wooden bench running through the center of the locker room pulling up a pair of casual socks. He had finished his shower and was watching J-Dawg's agents run through the scenario he and his team had just finished. For beginners they were actually doing pretty good. The trio of girls had already avoided several of the mistakes him and his team had made during the actual mission. However they still made other mistakes. Right now the tall redhead was inadvertently about to lead her team into a well planned ambush by the defensive security forces. He grimaced as he remembered that during the actual mission he'd almost done the same thing. But a last minute change had allowed them to successfully avoid the ambush and set up a counter ambush behind the bushwhackers waiting to shred his team.

"Yo, bossman, think we should give 'em a heads up on what they are about to walk into?", asked Foxfire Two as he entered the locker room running a towel through his damp hair.

"What do you thing? Did we have advance warning of that ambush?", snarled the team leader as he buttoned up his shirt.

Foxfire Two shook his head in negation and ignored the look cast in his direction from his team leader. Foxfire Lead seemed to be on edge. Ever since the beginning of the training, the leader had taken every chance he could to denigrate the abilities of their counterparts. He did give them credit were credit was due, they were good but he doubted that their teamwork would be the same if real lead was flying through the air over their heads. Stopping in front of his locker he turned and greeted the third member of their team as his hand twisted the dial to the locker's integral combination lock. He'd memorized the number the first day they had been assigned their lockers and hadn't changed the combination like his teammates had done to their lockers.

Once the locker door was open, Foxfire Two reached in and grabbed his anti-perspirant from the top shelf and applied it where it was needed. Donning a polo shirt while keeping his eye on the monitor on the wall he made a few comments about the agents running through the training.

"Damn, they walked right into that ambush. I wonder how they'll get out of it without taking a few hits.", he muttered as the guards on the screen sprung their ambush.

"Yeah, now they'll have to break contact and make their way to the objective by another route.", added Foxfire Three.

Out of the corner of his eye, the team leader watched as his third team member nodded in agreement as he stepped into his jeans. Tightening the laces on his boots, the leader closed his locker and rose from the bench. Deciding to head up to the lounge and grab a bite before beginning the after mission debrief for the other team, Foxfire Lead headed for the door at the far end of the locker room.

"I'm going topside to grab some snackage. Gimme a buzz and let me know how they're doing. I'll catch the conclusion of the exercise up in the lounge. Plus I gotta do some studying for school if I want to be able to ace that test tomorrow. Crap, our first day and the prof is already giving me the classes previous weeks' homework so I can get caught up. I hope that the JROTC supply office gets my uniforms right.", said the team leader.

"Hahahah, they can't help it since you're a big guy. I doubt that they've ever had cadets of your size. At least they had our uniform sizes and we were able to pick up ours after school today.", joked Foxfire Three.

The team leader grinned. His two companions were shorter and slightly skinnier than he was. Flipping his teammates an affectionate middle finger he exited the locker room and headed towards the short flight of stairs. He was hungry; maybe the guys could grab a pizza on the way home.

Wiping some of the sweat that her exertions had brought on with the back of her black glove covered hand; Sam glanced around the corner and observed the group of guards at the far end of the hallway. The five looked as if they were expecting her and her team and had their weapons pointed down the hallway in their direction. It was just her luck that she couldn't be seen as she was down on the floor minimizing her silhouette. Nodding once to herself, Sam pulled head back and murmured to her teammates about the situation.

"Great, just friggin' great; we can't go forward because they're waiting for us ahead. We can't go backwards because of the units we've bypassed are still searching for us and it'll be no time before they sniff us out. Any questions on how we're going to get out of this SNAFU'ed situation?", grumbled the redhead.

"No solutions that I can see at the moment.", answered Clover while rubbing her shoulder with her free hand.

Sam looked at her blonde friend and shook her head. Clover was still suffering aftereffects from the last firefight they'd gotten into when Alex had inadvertently tripped a trap. The laser beam had hit Clover a glancing blow but her bodysuit electronics had immediately sent a stunning pulse up her arm that caused it to stiffen up and be unusable thus reducing Clover's effectiveness.

_**"Dammit Natasha, you coulda warned used about that. I mean, when it happened after Alex got hit, we could've chalked up to a defect in the suits but now with Clover getting hit, it changes everything. I hope I never have to feel what she's feeling.", **fumed Sam as she looked around the corner again. _

Thinking of her third teammate, Sam whirled around and wondered what the most loquacious member of the team was doing. Alex hadn't said a thing since she finished her cursing after they narrowly avoided another ambush. Looking at the dark haired and caramel skinned teen, Sam started to get incensed when she saw Alex gazing at the ceiling with a thoughtful look in her eye. The tall teen was about to explode when Alex suddenly murmured to herself.

Alex had been studying the area since they'd first gotten there about a minute before after escaping a pursuit team that'd been sicced on their tail after a failed counter-ambush the spies had set up. Contrary to what Sam was thinking, Alex had listened to the conversation between her and Clover while mentally checking her observations. She'd winced internally as she'd caught a glimpse of Clover rubbing her shoulder and remembered when she'd gotten hit by an errant laser beam. Only in her case, Alex had been hit in the stomach and the electronic system in her suit had caused her to cramp up so bad that she'd executed a forward tumble into a hard wall that had knocked the breath out of her for a short bit of time.

_**"A few inches lower and I'd been able to tell Sam and Clover that I was no longer a virgin."**, came the thought unbidden in Alex's mind. _

Turning to her two friends, felt the first glimmer of a plan form in her mind. Trying to stifle the grin that was threatening to break out over her face (correctly guessing that if she let that smile through, both Clover and Sam would beat her. Repeatedly), Alex motioned the blonde and the redhead closer.

"If we can't go forward, and can't go backward, why don't we just go over the opposition?", Alex said while pointing her index to the ceiling.

Clover and Sam looked at each other with identical confused expressions on their faces before returning their attention to the dark haired girl in front of them. Their expressions told Alex that she needed to explain herself before they bashed her about the head with the butts of their weapons.

"I've been studying the ceiling for the past few minutes and noticed that the ceiling patterns are the same regardless of where we are. There are differences but their so minute you wouldn't notice them if you weren't looking. However in this hallway, the pattern difference is noticeably visible from the other hallways. Yes there are some similarities but the main differences are visibly different.", Alex started before Sam cut her off.

"And we need to know this, because? Alex as if you hadn't realized it yet, we are in deep shit! We've got an ambush team ahead of us around this corner and who knows how long it'll be before those fucking pursuit team bastards finally get their shit together and track us here. Not to mention the roving security teams who're probably setting up something behind us. Explain the reason we need to know about the bloody mindedness of that bastard interior designer who came up with this design now, Alexandra!"

Clover gasped at the rising tone of frustration in Sam's voice. Sam rarely cussed that bad unless she was really frazzled at situations that skewered her usual calmness. Rotating to face the target of Sam's ire, Clover was shocked. Alex usually caved under Sam's anger when it was this pronounced, this time Alex was looking cooler than a cucumber in Siberia in the middle of a hundred degrees below blizzard with driving snow. Alex's only reaction was a slight pulsating vein in her forehead.

"It's Alexis and if you'd let me continue I'd have explained the reason why, Samantha. Now if you'll shut the hell up for a moment, I can get us out of this.", came Alex's icily cold response.

Clover almost jumped when Alex turned in her direction.

"Clover, since you're the lightest out of the three of us and you're a cheerleader, we need you to jump straight up and grab onto the ledge I believe is just behind that ceiling panel. Wait till after Sam and I get the attention of the group around the corner. We'll start a short firefight with 'em. When we start shooting, you take out that panel and scramble into the space I believe is there. Once you're situated give us a call and we'll withdraw and join you. Do you think you can do this?"

"Umm hello… thought much? Alex what if you're wrong?", criticized Sam.

"If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong dammit! But right now it is the only option open to us!", Alex snarled in response to Sam's criticism.

The two girls growled at each other for a moment before Clover jumped in and brought them back to the mission at hand.

"Sam, Alex cool it. We've got other problems than bickering with each other right now! I'd hate to agree with Alex on this Sam, but she's right; her plan is the only option we've got left. Don't get cocky Alex, your plan is the only thing we can do but you needn't have snapped at Sam like you did. If you two are having problems between you, settle them later. Right now we've gotta get out of this.", stated Clover as she brought the laser rifle to her shoulder and prepared to shoot out the panel.

Alex and Sam glanced at each other and nodded. A new respect was growing between them. They'd acknowledge it later but at the moment they had a job to do. So after some last minute directions, Alex and Sam made their way back to the hallway corner. At the corner, Sam got back down on the floor to look around at the ambush up ahead. Since Alex was faster than her, Sam would scatter a volley of shots in the direction of the barricade to get the guards heads down. When she deemed the guards were occupied enough, Alex was going to dash across the junction and drop into a position similar to Sam on the other side. Together the pair would create a small crossfire to keep the enemies occupied just enough for Clover to shoot out the ceiling panel and execute her jump into the shaft. Once in the crawlspace, Clover planned to make her way to one of the rooms along the hallway (preferably a locked one) grab another ceiling panel, make her way back to the hole in the ceiling and give her two teammates a call on the comm system.

When Alex and Sam received the call from the third member of their trio, Sam was going to intensify her fire so Alex could make it back across the junction. Once Alex made it back across to Sam's side, she was going to take over for Sam in keeping the guards busy to allow Sam to scamper down the hall to Clover and jump into the crawlspace. Once Sam was situated in the crawlspace, Alex would toss one of the flash bang grenades in the direction of the barricade then break contact and join her two friends where Clover would place the new ceiling panel over the hole to disguise their escape route. After the panel was in place and adjusted to look natural, the three spies would make their way in the direction they needed to go.

In the lounge where the leader of Foxfire was dropping into one of the comfy chairs, the WOOHP assassin watched the video feed from the exercise area. His teammates had kept him apprised of the girls' situation. He'd been impressed with how quick it took them to figure it out. During the actual mission, it had taken him and his guys an action packed seven minutes to figure it out. Granted they'd been under heavy fire from several guards firing assault rifles and light machine guns from behind a large barricade. The only thing that had saved the lives of Foxfire team that time had been their ample supply of fragmentation grenades, their expert marksmanship, and the fact that the panel they chose to evac through was in a little alcove right off the hallway they booby trapped with a white phosperous grenade, a thunderflash grenade, and a fragmentation grenade.

_**"Impressive. Very impressive, they worked their way through their small confrontation and executed their hurriedly conceived plan to escape.", **thought the leader of Foxfire as he watched Alex's shapely rear end disappear through the entrance in the ceiling. _

Up in her office, Natasha nodded to herself as she saw what the girls had planned. Pulling up a map of the crawlspaces in the exercise area, she saw that the one the girls were presently in came to another junction several hundred yards away from the avoided ambush. Natasha also noticed that the crawlspace junction where the girls were headed had a direct line to their target. She was mentally congratulating the girls for their lucky when the direct phone line from Jerry's office started to ring. Natasha looked at the ringing phone with a sense of dread. There was only one reason Jerry would be using that line to call her. And it wasn't a good one. With a ball of ice in her gut, the head of WOOHP's "Dirty Little Jobs' Division answered the call.

"DILJO Division, Trigger Zero speaking."

"Trigger Zero, its J-Dawg. We've just received a Top Secret report from one of our informants."

"Go ahead."

"The Tortoise has come out of hiding. In eight months he's setting up a weapons auction in Monaco. We believe that he is auctioning off something bigger than his usual stuff. Intel says that he's gotten his hands on one of our 'special' backpacks. Our mission is two-fold: the recovery of that backpack and the elimination of the Tortoise. Inform Foxfire. They'll be the point team for this mission."

"Copy that. Sir, we need a name for your team of spies."

Jerry thought for a moment before answering. He figured that with what they were going to have to set up to get close enough to the Tortoise to eliminate him, the name that popped in his mind would fit.

"Trigger Zero, call them Ice Dancer. Individual codenames to follow: Sam is Ice Dancer Antigone, Clover is Ice Dancer Aphrodite, and Alex is Ice Dancer Anemone. I'll let you decide how to implement a plan to eliminate this problem. One more thing, send Foxfire to the island. Assign them three weeks under the hands of Seductress. Once they return, send Ice Dancer. They'll need to learn if WOOHP is going to pull this off."

"Copy that. DILJO One, out."

Natasha hung up the phone and turned to her computer. Opening its locator program, she asked it to find the three members of Foxfire. When she saw where the three guys were, she sighed.

"I should've known where they'd be. Every time they finish in the exercise area, the lounge is the first place they go after changing. Geez, they need to stop being so predictable. In our line of work, to be predictable is fatal."

Picking the phone handset up again, Natasha dialed the extension for the lounge. The phone rang twice before Foxfire Lead answered.

"Dazzman's, You Kill It, We Grill It Top Secret Lounge and Road Kill Grill! Whatcha havin'?"

"Give it a break, asshole. We've got a major problem!

"What's the problem boss?"

Natasha sighed again. If she knew her best team of assassins, they'd want to go after the target this instant. Unfortunately, right now was definitely not a good time for them to go charging off like they did in their old freelancer days.

"J-Dawg just issued a new contract. Highest priority 'shoot on sight' contract with addendums."

"Who's the target on the contract?"

"Tortoise.", answered Natasha after taking a deep breath.

There was complete silence on the line for a long time before the leader of the team asked for details.

"Not too many, Tortoise came out of his shell to announce an auction. Then he retreated again."

"Okay, Auction time and location."

"Monaco, eight months from tonight. One more thing."

"Go ahead."

"You'll have an assist on this mission. That comes straight from the top."

There was some general grumbling and cursing as her guys realized that their protests just got sidetracked. Foxfire Lead asked the obvious question.

"Who'll be our backup?"

Natasha winced as she heard the acid in the team leaders' voice. The bastard was going to try and play coy with her. She stifled the urge to chastise him over the line (it wasn't secure enough for that). She counted to ten before answering.

"No backup, but you'll have an assist. Quit playing word games with me. You'll be assisted by Ice Dancer."

More silence on the line. She knew that her three charges didn't know who the hell she was talking about. Before they could ask about this new team, she gave them their orders Jerry had given her.

"Foxfire, you're to report to Seductress on the island for the standard three week assignment. You know how much this mission means to Seductress; do not dally in your training. Antigone, Aphrodite, and Anemone will go through training on the island once you're returned. You have eight months to prep your gear. We'll start planning the operation next week. That is all. Last thing, the use of Freelancer designation is authorized.", stated Natasha before hanging up.

In the lounge, the members of Foxfire looked at each other with intense gazes. They knew what the elimination of the Tortoise meant to Seductress. They knew it all too well. Foxfire Lead turned to his teammates.

"For this mission, you know where our first stop is, guys."- Foxfire Lead

"Yeah, we need to go there anyways. It's been a long time since we last saw Snowcat."- Foxfire Two.

"We'll meet with Snowcat before we leave tonight. You know we're gonna have to tell Seductress and you know how she'll feel?"-Foxfire Three.

The other two members of Foxfire nodded before the team leader spoke again.

"It can't be helped. We'll report to the island next Monday."

His two friends nodded in agreement. With one last look at the monitor and the progress of the training mission going on, the three members of Foxfire Team left the lounge. At the door, the leader of the team muttered one thing to himself.

"I hope Ice Dancer will be up to the challenge, even if I don't know who they are.", said D. C. James to the empty lounge.

It was Thursday afternoon and Dominic was finishing up with his washing of the Sean's Audi and his Mitsu. He was prepping the FTO for his date with Alex later and had decided to wash and wax his car so that its metallic blue paint shimmered in the light. Sean had been taking a break from his studies when he saw D.C. pull his car out to be washed. He'd caught up to his partner and asked D.C. if he didn't mind washing the Audi while he was at it. D.C. said it was no problem and told him that he'd have it cleaned up by the time he was supposed to be heading back to the field house to study some tape of Beverly High's football upcoming opponent

"Hey Sean, you got your gear ready for Monday? You know we'll be leaving immediately after school, right? Bosslady managed to get the PBY set up to take us to the island.", remarked Dominic as he finished drying off the dark metallic blue, right hand drive vehicle in front of him.

"Natasha got the Catalina? Wicked cool!!! It's been a long time since we cruised out to the island in such style! Oh yeah, I think I'm gonna like this."

Dominic cast his friend a telling glance and Sean quieted down. He knew just as well as D.C. that the guys from Snowcat would want him to not take things so lightly. Snowcat had been the last to go after Tortoise; actually they'd gone after his boss and completed that mission. However the Tortoise had figured out that WOOHP had had a hand in his mentor's assassination. Somehow, Tortoise found out the identities Snowcat and had set up a well-though out plan to take care of them. The plan had worked but it had nearly been derailed when it became apparent that at the time Snowcat was working a mission with Belladonna, the team that the Seductress had been a member of. Unfortunately, Seductress had fallen in love with Snowcat Leader and the relationship had shown positive signs of leading to a marriage even though the two had broken one of DILJO's most hallowed regulations for joint operations. The Tortoise covertly inserted himself into the target's retinue and one night caught Snowcat Leader and Seductress together in a compromising position. The Tortoise had knocked out Seductress by hitting her in the back of the head with his pistol. While Seductress had been unconscious, the Tortoise hogtied her and Snowcat Lead and kidnapped them both. As he was doing this, the other two members of Snowcat were on their way to rescue their leader and Seductress with the other two members of Belladonna running back-up.

The four WOOHP assassins had caught up with Tortoise as he was making his way back to his yacht and took him under withering fire. Tortoises' bodyguards returned fire and in the ensuing firefight, the guys Snowcat had all been killed while the women of Belladonna were seriously wounded. Tortoise had executed the leader of Snowcat in front of Seductress. It had a chilling effect on her, when she and the rest of Belladonna recovered, her two teammates resigned from the agency. Seductress had stayed with WOOHP and did a few solo missions while waiting to be assigned to a new team. In the end, the Seductress stepped away from active operations to run the WOOHP special assassination training camp on an unmarked privately owned island that Jerry had been very successful in keeping quiet from the rest of the organization.

Even though she was retired from active field work, Seductress kept up on what was current and was always on the lookout for information about the Tortoise as she trained WOOHP agents in special abilities. D.C., Sean, and J.T. had been sent to the island early on in their WOOHP careers for training to prep them on how to avoid feminine wiles (and female assassins) while on assignment. Seductress also taught female field agents in the art of seduction and how during undercover assignments they could use seduction to their advantage.

Foxfire also had a bone to pick with Tortoise for his murder of Snowcat. The Snowcat guys were the ones who had inadvertently given the boys their official nickname: Foxfire. At the time of their deaths, the guys of Snowcat and the boys of Foxfire had been the best of friends and more importantly Snowcat had trained Foxfire in the many different ways of teamwork.

"Yeah Sean we all know you love that PBY. Seductress still ain't gonna let you pilot it, though. Just don't forget that Snowcat wants us to get their justice for them. Our job once we leave the island is to take out the Tortoise once and for all.", D.C. reminded Sean.

Sean nodded while rubbing his hands in anticipation of his trip in the big old amphibious aircraft with its radial engines. It was one of the few things that WOOHP had that he wanted for himself. Dominic chuckled to himself as he finished the wax job on his car. Buffing out the last few bits of wax with the buffer, the six foot two and a half inch assassin walked into the garage and unplugged the power tool before returning to the side of the FTO and grabbing the bucket of dirty water and rags that he'd used to wash both cars. Walking over to the industrial sink in the garage, D.C. dumped the dirty water into the sink. The rags he'd used to wash the cars fell out into the bottom of the sink. Placing the pail on the ground, he turned on the faucet so the rags could be rinsed out before they were tossed into the washing machine.

"Hey Sean, when did J.T. say he was going to be back. I wanted to ask him if I could borrow one of his Polo shirts for my date tonight?", commented D.C. as he made his way over to where Sean was leaning over the handlebars of his Tiger.

"Nah, I don't know what time he said he was going to be back. Last time I saw him, he was headed out to go pick up a pizza and some movies. Justin mentioned earlier that Sam is coming over for a bit to hang out."

D.C. nodded as he took off the sopping wet t-shirt he'd been wearing. Dominic didn't know where Alex planned to take him on this date so he wanted to be dressed for whatever, whether it was hanging out at the mall, eating in one of the many upscale restaurants of Beverly Hills, or just cruisin around town. After his J.R.O.T.C. class, Dominic had run into Alex by their lockers. She'd asked him a few questions before skipping off to join Sam and Clover for something he wasn't privy too.

Tossing a wave over his shoulder at his friend, Dominic went inside. He had a shower to take and a closet to raid. Sean returned the greeting and continued futzing around with his trail bike. Clover had invited him to a trail ride Saturday afternoon and he wanted his bike to be ready. The last time the Tiger had been ridden was when Sean and his buddies had gone out to Bolan family ranch for a little R & R.

While Dominic was headed upstairs to his room to grab his clothes for the evening, Sam and Clover were trying to help Alex find something to wear. The dark skinned teenage soccer star was a bit frazzled. Ever since they had gotten home from school (WOOHP training had been canceled for the evening), Alex had been going through her closet as well as Sam and Clover's looking for something to wear.

_"Dammit, dammit, dammit! Dammitalltohell and back_! I don't have anything to wear for my date tonight! Maybe I should just cancel tonight and go out with D.C. some other time!", Alex fumed.

Clover and Sam looked at each other and shrugged. This was something new and old at the same time. Usually it was Clover freaking out while Sam and Alex looked on and offered suggestions. Clover was finding this a tad bit funny since it wasn't her acting out of character.

"Alex, take it easy and calm down. Did you have any specific place you wanted to take Dominic to that requires you dress up or what?", asked Sam as she idly flipped through a fashion magazine that had been haphazardly tossed on the oak dresser earlier.

_"Yes, no, I don't know._ I just want this evening to be special. I mean, it's our first official date and I don't want to ruin it by dressing too casual.", replied Alex as she threw herself down on her bed.

"Well why don't you call and ask Dominic what he's wearing. At the same time you can find out what he likes and tailor the evening appropriately.", replied Clover as she did some leg lifts.

Alex cast Clover a dirty look. She wanted D.C. to be impressed and surprised. Calling and asking would ruin everything and he wouldn't be as surprised as she wanted. Sam agreed with Clover that Alex should call but she also agreed that calling wouldn't be in Alex's best interest either. The outcome of _her_ evening was banking on Alex keeping Dominic out for an extended period of time while hoping Clover decided to either go shopping or 'run into' Sean at the field house. Taking everything into account and wanting to avoid some potentially embarrassing questions, Sam suggested that Clover call Sean and get him to spill the beans about what D.C., planned to wear.

_**"And hopefully, one or the other will be astute enough to ask the other their plans for later this evening. Thus enabling me to enjoy my evening with Justin, roommate and distraction free.", **thought Sam in a wickedly selfish way that was unusual for her._

Clover grumbled a bit but called anyway. To Clover, if helping Alex get closer to Dominic meant that she got ahead of her arch nemesis in the popularity polls at Bev High, then the blonde would help every chance she got. Dialing the number from memory, Clover waited for Sean to answer.

"Hiyas dahling, how's it goin over at the house of the hottest babes on campus?", crooned Sean as he answered the phone.

Clover grinned self-consciously to herself when she heard Sean's voice. She loved it when he tried to do impressions (he wasn't that good at them but she laughed nevertheless).

"Everything's going fine. Sam and I are just hanging out trying to help Alex figure out what to wear for her date with Dominic. She can't seem to pick anything even though she has a closet full of clothes.", Clover returned while ignoring the dagger-like look Alex sent her way.

"Oh I see. D.C.'s having the same problem however, he can't decide whether or not to steal either one of my polo shirts, one of Justin's polo shirts, or wear one of his own banded-collar shirts. I'm trying to convince the big oaf that his triple-pleated charcoal black slacks would look better with either of his long sleeve dark red banded-collar shirt or his teal mock turtleneck shirt. When I suggested he wear his coral colored button-up shirt, I received his glare of promised death. At least with the red shirt, he can wear his black vest.", commented Sean.

Clover listened intently to her intended while gazing at the clothes still left hanging in Alex's closet. One particular dress caught her eye and she snapped her fingers to get the attention of her two friends. When Alex and Sam glanced in Clover's direction, she pointed at the dress in question.

Alex followed Clover's pointing finger and looked dubiously at the dress in question. It was a dark red short-sleeved dress Alex had purchased on a whim over the summer. She'd forgotten her original justification for buying the dress in the first place and had consigned it to the closet where it sat in its plastic cover forgotten until Clover had seen it hanging forlornly in its bag. Realizing the reason why Clover was pointing at that particular dress, Alex shook her head negatively. She suddenly recalled why it had been forgotten. Alex didn't want to wear that dress for just a simple date; she wanted to wear it for a special occasion.

Clover glared at Alex and continued pointing at the dress. Alex continued to shake her head no.

"Oh come on Alex. It's a nice dress to wear. You want this date to be a memorable one and that dress would be a good way to remember.", Sam chimed in.

"No, Sam. There's a reason I don't want to wear that dress. I want to wear it for a special occasion. A very special occasion.", grunted Alex angrily.

"This **_is_** a special occasion. There **_isn't_** any other occasion that could be more special than this."

**"_Yes _**there**_ is!", _**replied Alex emphatically.

"Really, what occasion could be more special than this one?", asked Clover as she depressed the 'mute' button on the phone so Sean couldn't overhear the conversation.

"Clover!", shrieked Alex as she gave her blonde friend a significant look.

The look on Clover's face showed that she didn't understand why her friend was getting all riled up about wearing the dress. And what was this about Alex saving it for a special occasion. Clover didn't understand the reasoning behind that one either. What could be more special than Alex's first date with one of the three hottest guys in school? Clover didn't know and asked only to receive a glare that could've curdled milk at a thousand paces from her soccer playing, dark-haired friend. Frustrated that Clover still wasn't getting it and not about to mention what she meant by 'special occasion' out loud, Alex cast Sam a look that said 'please get Clover out of my room before I commit first degree premeditated murder and kill her with my bare hands'. Sam nodded her head in agreement and took the phone handset away from Clover; much to the latter's annoyance. Thanking Sean for what little bit of help he could give, Sam hung up.

"Come on Clover, let's go. Lets' see if there's something in my closet Alex can wear for her date. I believe I might have something a bit better.", said Sam as she made to leave the room.

"But Sa…aam! Why do we have to check your closet when there's such a perfect outfit in hers?", whined Clover as she sat up.

Sam just shook her head in exasperation, reached down, and grabbed Clover by the ear, effectively pulling the shorter, lighter girl to her feet and ending the conversation. Pushing Clover out the door, Sam looked back at Alex. She was curious herself about what kind of special occasion Alex could be talking about. Looking back over her shoulder, Sam asked Alex about it. Upon hearing Sam's question, Alex nearly snapped and was looking for a shoe to throw in Sam's direction.

"Oh come on, Alex, you can tell me. Why are you saving that dress for a special occasion and what kind of special occasion are you saving it for?", asked Sam as she stepped across the threshold.

Realizing that Sam wasn't going to let her off the hook as easily as Clover did, Alex muttered to herself before hesitantly answering the question in such a low voice that Sam almost didn't hear it.

"I'm saving it for a special occasion because, Ms. Nosy, it's easy for me take off! Now does that answer your question?", muttered Alex.

Understanding dawned on Sam's face as she realized what Alex was alluding too.

"Oh, **'_THAT '_**special occasion'!"

"Yes, **_'that'_** one! Now Get Out! And Sam; don't tell Clover! If our blonde friend ever found out, I'd never hear the end of it! Especially since what happened a few months ago.", answered an embarrassed Alex.

Sam had the grace to look a bit sheepish as a fresh tinge of red spread across her face. She knew exactly what incident Alex was referring to. A flash of memory from that night came to her unbidden and she turned an even deeper shade of red before hurriedly making her excuses and rapidly retreating from Alex's room. Once she was sure her two friends were nowhere in the immediate vicinity of her door, Alex slammed the door closed. If she was this frazzled trying to find something to wear, she wondered how bad she would be when it came to the actual date!

Throwing herself on her bed, Alex crossed her arms and rested her head on them. She hated having to let slip to Sam why she had bought the dress in the first place. It wasn't a subject Alex preferred to dwell on. Yes she was still a virgin and she was damn proud of it. It was the one thing she'd promised her mother a few years before when she'd first broached the subject of staying with her friends while her parents moved to another country. At the time, Alex didn't mention that living alone together with Sam and Clover would help hone their teamwork as WOOHP agents (hell, she couldn't even mention to her parents that she was a spy), she just told her parents that it would be better if she started and finished high school with her friends. At first her father hadn't been too happy, but eventually he came around to the idea.

_**"Mom, so far, I'm keeping my promise to you and daddy to wait until I'm married. But, just being around Dominic is like being around an eternal rainbow. I'm sooo tempted to break that promise. I've only known him and his friends for a few days, but he's everything I could want in the man I want to marry someday. Out of all the guys I've seen and dated, Dominic is the only one where I felt a raging jealousy by his interactions with another woman. Even when Mandy pulled similar stunts to guys I've liked before, I've never felt the rage I felt that day. Am I falling in love with Dominic even though I barely know him?", **ran the thoughts in Alex's mind. _

Making a decision, Alex turned over and reached for the phone next to her bed. Dialing a long string of numbers, Alex waited for her call to go through and connect. When it did and she recognized the voice that answered, Alex took a deep breath and asked a question she'd never had to ask before in her life.

"Hello mom, I need your advice on something., can you help me?"

The street lights in the neighborhood were just starting to come on when a midnight blue Mitsubishi FTO pulled out into the street. Going a few houses down, the dark paint gleamed with the shine only a fresh hand wash and wax could create as it quietly made its way under the lights and pulled into the driveway of its driver's intended destination.

Dominic Calvin James, attired in his charcoal triple pleated slacks, a long-forgotten dark gold banded collar shirt he'd found hiding in closet in the basement armory, a storm grey brushed leather vest, and a pair of black leather Giorgio Brutini dress shoes his dad had had custom made for him a few years before, shut off the 2.5 liter turbocharged and intercooled engine and climbed out of the vehicle. Making his way up the walk to the door, he checked the time on the black pocket watch (a gift from his younger sister on his seventeenth birthday) and saw that he was a few minutes early.

"Oh good, I thought I was gonna be late when I couldn't find a shirt to wear.", the teen muttered to himself as he reached the door and pressed the doorbell.

A minute or so after the chimes from the doorbell died down, the door opened to admit D.C. Stepping through the doorway and into the foyer of the villa, he saw that Sam had been the one to open the door. Smiling to his red-haired hostess and giving her a brotherly hug, Dominic allowed Sam to lead him further into the expansive villa.

"Hi Dominic, you're right on time. Alex will be down in a minute or so. She had some last minute things to take care of. Please have a seat. Would you like anything to drink while you wait?", asked Sam in what was obvious to Dominic as a ploy to get him to answer in the negative.

Deciding to slightly screw up Sam's quick getaway, Dominic nodded and asked for a glass of water. He stifled a chuckle as Sam's too wide grin faltered a bit as she realized that he'd seen right through her act.

"It's okay Sam, I know that you're trying to head over to our place and meet up with J.T. Don't worry, he's waiting for you and he's rented a few good movies he thinks you'd enjoy. Oh yeah, I snuck this away from him when he wasn't looking. I hope you enjoy it.", joked D.C. as he handed Sam a long black leather covered case with the elegantly rendered name of a very reputable jeweler embossed in gold script on the top.

Sam saw the name and her breath caught. Gently accepting the gift from Dominic the red haired teen opened the box reverently. Her hand went to her throat as her eyes came to rest upon the gold filigree necklace resting on the soft grey felt. At the end of the necklace a respectably sized ruby glittered in the dim light. Sam realized that the red stone scintillating in the light precisely matched the color of her hair when it caught the light of the sun during the day.

D.C. watched as a tear started to well up in Sam's eye. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out an embroidered maroon handkerchief he handed to Sam with an admonishment to not start to cry.

"It would ruin your pretty face and I'd rather not have Justin threatening bodily harm because I made you cry. He's already going to be miffed that I swiped this from him and gave it to you before he could.", chuckled D.C., as Sam hastily dabbed at her eyes with the offered piece of cloth.

Sam nodded and promised not to tell Justin what his partner had done and retreated to the kitchen to retrieve the requested glass of water. When she returned with his glass, Dominic thanked her and turned his attention towards the window as he sipped. Careful not to spill any on his clothes, he was lost in thought and didn't hear the soft footsteps as Alex started to make her way down the stairs. It was only the hint of Plumeria wafting through the air and a quiet cough from Sam that alerted him to the fact that his date had arrived. Dominic turned from the window to see Alex as she made her appearance.

When he caught his first glimpse of Alex, the hand holding his glass of water stopped in mid-motion.

Alex was wearing a knee length short sleeved dress in black velvet with sequins around the neckline. The sequins glinted in the light and cast scintillas of light across the room as they glimmered. Alex had her hair done up in a different style than usual and somebody had woven a strand of small diamonds through her short black hair. As she continued down the stairs gracefully and elegantly, Dominic continued to drink in her appearance. A brief satin-like shimmer confirmed that Alex was wearing skin tone pantyhose on her athletic legs. Nearing the bottom of the staircase, Dominic saw that his vision of beauty was wearing black, closed-toe heels that emphasized her long legs and made her look taller than her five foot nine inch height. The heels also made her already curvaceous posture even better.

With his mind taken over by how beautiful Alex looked, Dominic didn't notice when Sam stepped up and gently took the half full glass out of his hands to keep him from dropping it and spilling the water all over the carpet. He unconsciously released his grip on the glass and didn't even register when Sam made her exit into the kitchen. As Alex approached his position, D.C. found that he couldn't speak a word because his throat felt as if it had closed. It only opened when Alex stopped right in front of him and asked what he thought.

"My god Alex, you look beautiful! Exquisitely beautiful.", he murmured as she stepped into his arms.

"Thank you, Dominic.", she relied demurely before pressing a feather light kiss to his lips.

His senses went haywire when he tasted her lips. To Dominic they were like a refreshing life-giving rain providing a sustenance that would never disappear. He was disappointed when she stepped back to take in his appearance.

For Alex, Dominic's appearance made her heart beat faster and faster. The grey slacks wrapped around his legs as if they were trying to restrain the long, well-muscled, and toned limbs. The shirt brought out the color of his eyes and hid the slender muscular frame underneath. His vest draped from his broad shoulders as if it had poured over him while hot and had solidified when it came in contact with his body heat through the lightweight rayon shirt, its dark color complemented by the pocket watch chain hanging from the right front pocket of the vest.

Drinking in each other's appearance, both Dominic and Alex were surprised when a light flashed behind them. Unconsciously reacting, it took a second for D.C. to realize that the flash he saw wasn't from the business end of a weapon but from the digital camera Sam was wielding to take their picture.

"Gotcha, now both of you'll have a good memory from this date. Just let me get a few more pictures and I'll be out of your way.", commented Sam with a smile.

_**"Yeah, I'll be out of your way and on my way over to see Justin!!", **went the selfish thoughts in Sam's mind. _

Bringing the camera back to her eye, Sam gazed through the viewfinder. What she saw peaked her interest about what she and her friends didn't know about the new men in their lives. Dominic had unconsciously but firmly pushed Alex behind him and stood as if he was protecting her. Sam thought that was just natural, what wasn't natural is that in addition to pushing Alex behind him, Dominic's right hand had flew to hip as if he was reaching for something located there.

_**"Where have I seen that kind of movement before? Its not a natural reaction to the light from a camera's flash. It's as if he's not reacting to the camera flash itself. It seems he's reacting to a similar flash from his past. What produces a flash similar to a camera?", **thought Sam as she waited for Dominic and Alex to rearrange themselves into a photo-friendly pose._

Once everything was alright, Sam took several more pictures of the couple before they departed. The red head even managed to take a picture of Alex and D.C. sharing another kiss as their chariot pulled out of the villa's long curving driveway. However, Sam couldn't get Dominic's reaction out of her mind. As she prepared to lock up the three story house and head over to hang out with Justin, she wondered why D.C. would react that way. She also wondered where she'd seen such a reaction before. It would be hours later in the midst of her movie marathon with Justin when it would come to her where she'd seen that kind of reaction before.

Mindless of her red headed roommates' late night ruminations, Alex waited as Dominic opened his car door for her once they left the house. She was surprised at first when Dominic lead her around what she thought was the driver's side of his car. It became clear when he explained it as she climbed in and settled her body into the crème' colored kangaroo leather bucket seat that melded around her sinuous proportions.

"It's a right hand drive car my mom had imported from Japan a few years back. I love driving it because it's different. You should see the looks I get from other drivers on the highway when they realize that I'm on the wrong side of the car as I pass them at speed.", commented Dominic as he climbed into the car on the right side and buckled his seatbelt.

Once they were situated in the car and D.C. was sure that Alex was securely -but not too tightly- buckled in, Dominic inserted his key in to the ignition, depressed the clutch with his left foot and started the engine. Alex nodded to herself as the mellow sounds of the well taken care of engine burbled to life with a low grumble of restrained power. Opening the moonroof, Dominic shifted the car into reverse and backed out of the villa's driveway. Once out on the street, he pointed the car in the direction of the city and shifted the two door sports coupe into first gear. Within minutes, he was up to fourth gear and the car was cruising sedately as it left their neighborhood behind.

Once they were out on the open road, Dominic turned on the radio. Alex listened as an unfamiliar song came through the upgraded sound system. Alex appreciated the fact that her date wasn't one of those guys and girls who only cared about bass in music. Her ear could tell that although there was more than enough bass to bust his subwoofers, Dominic preferred to listen to the entire range of music coming through his radio and CD player. The highs and lows could be heard and weren't drowned out by the bass.

Closing her eyes and letting the music wash over her, she wasn't surprised that the song was being sung in Japanese.

_**"Well he does seem to be a man of the world, why should I be surprised if he listens to music from other countries. I wouldn't be surprised if he even understood the lyrics.",** thought Alex as she reached back and placed her black clutch purse on the back seat. _

Curious about the music, Alex asked what the name of the song playing was. Dominic's answer intrigued her a bit.

"Oh it's from a favorite show of ours. Sean, Justin, and I are all fans of anime. Between the three of us we have a nice, well-cared for collection. This song is the opening theme song to a series called 'Revolutionary Girl Utena'. It's not too fast paced and to me the music is relaxing. I also listen to other kinds of music. I'm partial to classical and some R & B when I drive at night with the moonroof open.", answered D.C., as he followed Alex's directions to a very exclusive restaurant.

Half an hour later, the couple was being shown to their table. Alex had already called ahead and made reservations for two and had requested a secluded, dimly lit table with an outside view. As the tuxedo-clad (and professional) maitre'd led them to their requested table, a waiter lit the pair of tall red tapers in the candelabra with a flourish. Alex and Dominic applauded as the waiter bowed before striding off to perform the same ritual at another table.

Being the gentleman he was (and using manners taught him by his own family as well as beaten into him by Seductress), Dominic pulled out Alex's chair before the maitre'd could and allowed Alex to seat herself before gently pushing back under the table. Making his way back around to his side of the table, the teenager seated himself.

"Would you like to order from our wine list, sir? Our establishment carries a substantial selection of wines and champagnes in our well-stocked and monitored wine cellar.", asked the maitre'd as he deposited a pair of menus on the table.

Alex glanced at Dominic and he could see the tinge of worry in her eyes and read her non-verbal question.

"Not at this very moment, kind sir. The lady will decide at a later time.", commented Dominic as he gazed intently into Alex's dark eyes.

The gentleman nodded and bowed once before departing their table to take care of some other arrivals. The two teenagers watched him stride off with a graceful step. When another well-dressed waiter placed a matched set of crystal glasses of water on their table, they returned their attention to each other. Dominic took a sip from his glass and waited for the question he knew was coming.

"Dominic do you know what could've happened to us if you'd said yes and he'd checked our ID's and found out we're underage? We'd have been in real trouble.", hissed Alex.

The flickering light cast intriguing shadows on Alex's face as he watched and weighed his answer. Dominic figured that if they had ordered wine or champagne; the maitre'd wouldn't have checked their identification to see if they were of legal age. He figured that since they carried themselves with a maturity beyond their years, they were mature enough to drink.

"My dear Alex, you needn't have worried. He asked because he guesses that we're mature enough to handle ourselves. Its part of his job to make un-informed guesses like that about his customers. Around the world, others of his profession have to make snap judgments about guests within seconds of meeting them. The maitre'd judged us the way he did because of the way we carry ourselves.", answered Dominic.

Alex thought about that for a minute. To cover up her thinking, she reached for her cup of water and took a sip. Replacing the glass on the table she asked Dominic another question. His answer surprised her.

"Alex, take a glance around the room at the other patrons; then look at the mirror to our left and tell me what you see. That will give you your answer."

Casually gazing around the restaurant and observing the other patrons, Alex couldn't see much of a difference in the other couples and her and Dominic. Gazing at the mirror at their reflection, she still couldn't figure it out. All she saw in the mirror was the reflection of a well dressed couple out for a romantic dinner. Alex mentioned as much to Dominic and was annoyed to see him shake his head.

"Alex, Alex, Alex you're not seeing the big picture. You're looking but you're not observing. There is a difference between the two. Look at how everyone else in the room is carrying themselves and compare that to how we're carrying ourselves."

"I am, Dominic, I am but I'm not seeing it. Please elaborate on your meaning."

"Alright but before I do, answer me this: if we'd have came in here behaving like we do at school or at home, do you think the maitre'd would have asked the question he asked?"

'No, but that's explainable, our behavior would've been different. He would have known we're underage because we'd have been acting like typical teenagers.", answered Alex as she gazed at Dominic over the top of her menu.

"Exactly. Now trying observing the other patrons again and tell me how we're acting in comparison to them."

Alex did so and this time she was able to understand what Dominic was talking about. The maitre'd had asked them about the wine list because her and Dominic weren't acting like teenagers. They were acting like the adults around them so he assumed that since they were acting like adults they must be adults. She told her date as much as felt very satisfied when he nodded in concurrence and smiled. Dominic's smile filled her with a warmth she'd rarely felt from any other guy in her life. It made her feel like she was on cloud nine. She returned his warm smile with one of her own.

Staring into her grey eyes D.C. felt like he was beginning to get lost. He was falling, falling hard and he knew it. The flickering of the candles shimmered as their dancing was reflected in her grey orbs. Reaching across the table and gently taking a hold of her hand, Dominic held it and gently caressed her soft skin (verily amazed at its softness) with his thumb. Again he felt the flash of electricity he remembered from that first slow dance and how fast it had come and gone but had left them connected them on a much higher level than before. This time the electricity between them was way stronger and lasting much longer and their connection felt as if it was getting deeper and deeper.

In their mind's eye the two teenagers saw that there was only one resolution for this relationship and they were headed in that direction faster than ever. The moment was broken when a waiter cleared his throat and asked if they were ready to order. The last image that each saw in their subconsicousness before their contact was broken was images of tangled sheets and sweat soaked bodies. For Alex, her mental image of resolution showed her somewhat of an epilogue where she was wearing a white dress and carrying a bouquet of flowers. She was quick to grab on to this image although later she wondered what it meant.

_**"Does it mean that he and I are destined to be married sometime in the future?"**, thought Alex as she lay in bed later that night. _

For Dominic the images were stronger. Intermixed between the loving moments were times of worry and shear terror. He saw that somewhere along the way, the two of them were going to be separated by something greater than either of them. The last image he saw before turning his attention to the patient waiter was one of him lying in her lap drenched in blood. Dominic couldn't tell if the blood was his or hers but the image scared him deeply, so deeply it seared his soul.

Across the room at another dimly lit and secluded table, a lone woman watched the interplay between the two with great interest. Countess Teresa de Aquitaine rubbed her gloved hands together as she watched the young couple. She knew the young gentleman in the dark gold shirt, knew him very well indeed. She'd beaten a lot of his present day manners into him when he was younger. There were other things she'd taught him but Teresa refused to acknowledge them at the present time.

Standing five foot eleven and a half inches tall and wearing a floor length, long-sleeved satin dress in a soft wine color and wearing a matching hat with a fishnet veil over half of her face, Countess Teresa radiated seductive and erotic sensuality with her distinguished height and her willowy, perfectly and naturally proportioned body. From the dainty wine-colored satin open toed high heel shoes to the long brown hair that reached down her back, Teresa was a dream walking. Very few men knew that the lovely countess used to be one of the top ten deadliest assassins for the super secret agency WOOHP.

As the Seductress, Teresa and her Belladonna teammates Temptress and Siren successfully assassinated over five hundred known and unknown enemies of WOOHP and free countries everywhere. When she retired from active fieldwork, Seductress looked back over her long career and was satisfied with every successful mission undertaken back Belladonna.

"Ah, it seems that my beloved's prodigy is falling hard for his companion.", stated the twenty-six year old veteran assassin.

She watched as the young couple placed their order and allowed their waiter to retrieve their menus. She took a delicately small bite of her grilled mahi-mahi followed by a sip of an exquisite red-wine she knew was hidden deep in the restaurants' wine cellar and only served to those guests in the know. Placing her knife and fork on the table, Teresa crooked a finger and one of the waiters assigned to her table obediently stepped over and leaned down. Asking the waiter to retrieve the maitre'd, the young man stepped away to do her bidding. Crossing her hands in front of her face and leaning forward, Teresa continued to observe the couple. She was so intent on her observations that she didn't hear the waiter return with the maitre'd in less than two minutes.

"Yes Countess de Aquitaine, is everything to your liking?", he asked as he leaned down next to her.

"Yes it is Napoleon, everything is fantastic as usual. My compliments to the chef.", answered Teresa in her husky voice.

"I'll be sure to pass that on to Chef Richard. He always appreciates compliments from lovely guests like you. Is there anything else countess?", asked the grinning maitre'd.

"Yes there is, Napoleon what can you tell me about that couple at that table there?", asked Teresa as she indicated the couple in question with a well-manicured finger.

Napoleon glanced at the couple the countess indicated and shrugged his shoulders.

"I believe they're just a young couple enjoying a romantic dinner tonight. They seem rather young but I believe that they carry themselves appropriately, unlike most young adults these days. It was odd that the gentleman chose not to order any wine or champagne right away. He stated that the young lady would decide later. Oh well go figure, I can't denigrate them for their taste."

Teresa nodded in agreement. The couple had caught her particular interest when she happened to glance up and catch a part of their conversation. An expert lip reader as trained by WOOHP, she figured out that the discussion was about their age and his choice to let his date decide later. Correctly figuring that Napoleon the maitre'd didn't guess their ages, Teresa decided to play a joke on him.

"Napoleon, serve them a bottle of the same wine I'm having. Inform the gentleman that it is with my compliments. And inform them that I wish them a happy start to their relationship."

"As you command, Countess de Aquitaine, I will see to it immediately.", stated the maitre'd as he turned to go.

"Oh, and Napoleon."

"Yes madam."

Teresa motioned for him to lean closer then turned and said something to him sotto voce. It pleased her to no end to watch the man's face go nearly white in horror. When he lifted his head to protest, Teresa cast him an imperiously cold look and went back to enjoying her meal. Accepting her quiet dismissal with all the grace he could muster, Napoleon the maitre'd hurried away. He did not want to anger the countess. She was a regular patron as well as a part time shareholder in the restaurant. Napoleon had heard rumors about what happened to those who angered Countess Teresa de Aquitaine. Some were never heard from again.

Napoleon also thought back to the one time he'd inadvertently ran into the countess away from the restaurant. The countess had been with two of her friends on a very rare shopping trip and the trio was wearing slacks and blazers. It hadn't occurred to him at that moment that it was a day that was too hot to wear such accoutrements. It was when he was in the store shopping for a Valentine's Day gift for his wife that he'd just happen to look up from the jewelry counter and catch a glimpse of the countess as she accidentally brushed past a display that lifted up her coat. He'd nearly gasped in fright as he saw what was nestled under the countess' right arm.

There had been a soft leather shoulder holster nestled securely under her arm. Resting comfortably in the holster (or so he thought) was a gawdafully big automatic pistol. At that moment, Countess de Aquitaine must've felt that she was being watched and casually glanced around the store. When her eyes fell upon the off duty maitre'd, he'd seen her one visible eye go from warm and friendly to glacially cold and threatening. With a subtle shake of her head, the countess told him that if he ever mentioned to anyone what he'd seen, retribution would be mercilessly swift. Nodding back in a frightened manner, he vowed to forget he ever saw what he did. He started to look at her friends but another subtle shake of her head warned him off. Turning away from the trio, Napoleon guessed that the countess preferred to not let anyone know about her friends.

A few minutes later, as Dominic and Alex were enjoying the last of their appetizer and having an enlightening conversation that was making their burgeoning relationship stronger and bringing them closer together as they learned more private details about each other, the couple looked up as they heard the maitre'd give a slight cough to gain their attention. Dominic started to glare at the man but realized it wasn't working when the only open reaction to his expression was an arched eyebrow. Letting his temporary bought of anger subside, the teenager noticed the gentleman in the white waistcoat standing slightly behind and to the right of the restaurants charge de affairs.

_**"What's the sommelier doing here?", **thought D.C. as he glanced at his date and saw that she wasn't comprehending the scene either. _

D.C. wondered if Alex actually knew who the sommelier was and what he did. He sure knew, that was one of the things that Seductress had had beaten him and his two friends over the head with-repeatedly-during their original training on the island. Dominic mentally grinned as the thought of what she did for an apology flitted quickly through his mind like a crack-addicted hummingbird. Dominic hurriedly quashed that thought as he gazed through the flickering candle at that stunningly beautiful young lady sitting less than three feet across from him. Clearing his throat, Dominic gave leave for the maitre'd to speak with a simple nod of his head.

"Pardon my interruption sir, madam but one of our regular patrons wish for you to enjoy this gift and asked me to have the wine steward bring it over. I believe it is a favorite of hers. ", answered Napoleon with a short bow and indicated that man standing behind him.

The steward stepped up and presented the bottle to the couple and then stepped back and placed the bottle in a bucket of ice to chill. Alex and D.C. watched as the steward rolled the bottle between his hands and pulled a corkscrew out of his pocket and applied it to the sealed bottle. Working the implement with the rapidity of long experience, the steward soon had the wine opened and poured a little in to a glass and presented it to Dominic.

D.C. shook his head and indicated that the steward should present it to his companion.

"The lady will taste.", stated Dominic.

Lifting an eyebrow in her beloveds' direction, Alex accepted the glass cautiously. Remembering some of the manners taught to her when she was younger, Alex closed her eyes and gave the wine a sniff and nodded in appreciation. Next she took a very small sip from the proffered glass. Her eyes shot open as the full flavor of the wine exploded in her mouth like a volcano. Nodding again, she handed the glass back to the steward and answered his unasked question with a smile.

"Please."

The steward nodded once and offered her his own smile before he quickly filled two fresh wineglasses and placed them on the table in front of the teens. Once his duties had been discharged, the wine steward bowed and left the table. He had other bottles of wine to deliver. The wine steward was followed by the maitre'd as he finished his soliloquy and returned his attention to the growing crowd of customers at the front of the restaurant. D.C. watched the man move with his purposeful yet regal stride before he sensed he was being observed by a professional.

Keeping his movements as natural as possible, D.C. reached down and took a sip of his wine. Glancing around the room over the rim of the glass, D.C. tried to find out who was scrutinizing him and his date so closely. Across the table, and misunderstanding the look in her date's eyes, Alex batted her eyelashes coquettishly at her companion. She grinned as Dominic caught the flutter and a corner of his mouth quirked in amusement. He was still trying to figure out who was observing him when their food arrived.

The waiter placed a plate of Chicken Kiev and scalloped potatoes in cheese sauce before Dominic. Alex had a well done steak and grilled shrimp sharing space with some sautéed onions on her plate. Both teens allowed the waiter's assistant to whisk their nearly empty salad plates away from the small table to allow room for their entrées. A small basket of freshly baked buttered dinner rolls was placed in the middle of the table with a dish of extra butter.

Alex gazed at the repast before her in anticipation. She'd heard great things about the steak in this particular restaurant and wanted to try it herself. Lifting her eyes to the man sitting across from here, she stifled a chuckle as she saw him grinning at her obvious delight. Before she could comment on it, Alex watched Dominic pick up his wine glass and hold it up in preparation for a toast. Lifting hers to meet his, she wondered what his toast was going to be. When she heard his quietly spoken words, Alex nearly had to grab the napkin folded across her lap to wipe her watering eyes.

"To us. May we eternally be together."

"Yes, to us. May we be together for eternity."

The cut glass crystal wine glasses chimed as their edges were touched together, as the couple holding the glasses stared deep into each other's eyes and felt warmth neither had felt before when in the company of others. After taking her sip, Alex gently placed her glass on the table and started to lean forward. Dominic mimicked her move until their lips came together over the center of the table. The electricity that had passed between them before returned with a new ferocity. Together the conjoined lips blazed an incendiary path for their owners towards the ultimate realization. On the table the two plates of recently arrived food sat forgotten as Alex and Dominic strengthened their relationship by abandoning all their previous reservations and just living in the present for each other.

Across the room Countess Teresa de Aquitaine sighed and reached into her memories. She thought back to when she was young and in love and she thought about the man who she had been prepared to give up everything in her life so she could spend forever in his warm embrace.

_**"My dear Sterling, if only you could see your protégé today. He's found what we had found. This lady will help him during his hard times. I hope that he and his lady can find a way to end up better than we did. Maybe good things do happen to assassins like us.", **ran the thoughts in the mind of the seductress as she remembered her one and only love._

Bringing herself back to the present, she again beckoned one of her waiters forward. Giving him some quick instructions, she waited to see how things were going to work out.

Besides, her dessert of fresh ripe raspberries drowned in both white and dark chocolate was delicious.

Back at the lair of the Foxfire assassination team, Sam and Justin were cuddling on the couch as they watched another movie. This time they were watching a romantic movie that Sam had wanted to see and Justin had just about refused to rent. In the end, Sam had gotten her way (she could be **_very_** persuasive when she wanted to as J.T. had found out), and for every typical 'guy' movie he'd previously rented, Sam had picked two typical 'chick' flicks. She'd also developed a fondness for Justin's car as she'd ridden with him to pick up the other movies and he'd shown her how fast he was willing to go when he chose to.

"I only really put the boot to it when I just need to get as far away as possible to think.", Justin had commented as they were rocketing along the highway at about ninety with the top down and the wind rushing through their hair.

For her part, Sam had felt entirely safe and comfortable strapped in to the leather seat with the Takata harness. She'd watched with an increasing interest as her blonde haired companion confidentially flicked through the gears with relative ease. As they'd pulled into the driveway at the house that had been-unofficially- dubbed 'The Lair', Sam had asked J.T. if he could teach her how to drive like he did and he'd answered that he would when he got the chance. But her hopes were dashed when he told her that she wasn't going to drive his car until he was definitely sure she could handle the power it produced.

Now as they sat on the couch covered with a blanket and watching the credits for 'Titanic' roll by, Sam reached out and grabbed a handful of popcorn. Taking the kernels singly and in pairs and popping them in her mouth, she asked whose turn it was to eject the disc.

"I think it's your turn this time, Sam. I've ejected the last three.", answered J.T. as he stretched his arms.

Sam pouted a bit before relenting. She'd wanted to watch Justin (or to be more specific, his backside) as he made his way up to the DVD player and ejected the movie contained within.

"Aww okay, I'll get up and put another movie in. What should we watch this time?", asked Sam as she slid out from under the blanket (and J.T.'s casually draped arm that had coincidentally came to rest on her shoulders) and made her way up to the entertainment system.

Before answering, Justin watched Sam's sinuous movements and felt his heart start to speed up. He fought the natural reaction that followed but almost lost it completely when in the dim light he was able to make out a thin line under the jeans, Sam was wearing. Clearing his throat so his words wouldn't come out in a froggish croak (and shifting the blanket a bit so his reaction to her full-figured frame wasn't noticed), Justin asked her to insert the disc that had been sitting on the top of the machine when she'd first arrived. Sam grimaced as she saw the name of the movie.

"Scarface?? Why Scarface?", asked Sam.

"Because it's a damn good movie. Hell, it's a bloody great movie. I believe as well as Dominic and Sean do, that every guy should at least see that movie once in their lifetime if not out and out buy it. It's wicked cool. The three of us have even been to house where some of the movie was filmed. Granted it was only for a delivery but we still got to see it."

"Oh really, well then love, what other movies do the three of you think every guy should at least see once in their life?", asked Sam coolly.

"Well, in addition to 'Scarface' there's also 'Full Metal Jacket', 'Gone in Sixty Seconds'-both versions-, 'Top Gun', and 'Harlem Nights'.", answered Justin as he choose to ignore the tone in Sam's voice.

"I see. In other words, movies where there is a lot of explosions, gunfights, car chases, dogfights, etc are movies the three of you think your fellow men should see at least once in their life?"

"Well, yeah. Don't you agree?"

"I believe my two friends and I are gonna have to change your perception. ", commented Sam as she inserted the requested movie with a sigh.

Once the movie was in and the player had started, Sam returned to her spot underneath Justin's arm. Distracting him with a bit of a wiggle as she snuggled closet to him, Sam reached out and casually snatched the DVD players' remote from his hand. To Justin's consternation, she refused to return it. Even when they tussled around under the blanket for possession of the prized remote, Sam did not relinquish the precious device. Emerging from under the blanket, Sam turned around and looked as Justin made his way out from under the cover. Making sure he was watching, she undid the top two buttons on her shirt and slipped the remote inside her bra.

"Now try and get it. If we're gonna watch this movie, I'm holding the remote so you can't keep rewinding your favorite parts.", stated Sam as she backed towards the TV.

"And what if I do succeed in grabbing the remote from where you have it? What then?", replied Justin.

"Well will just have to see what happens and flow with it."

"Even if flowing with it means a resolution that could be detrimental to the both of us?"

Sam thought about Justin's words for a moment and realized the implication of what he was saying. It took a second for her to get her heartbeat to get back under control but she managed to do so. Knowing that the only resolution to a continued wrestling match for the remote involved things that were better not thought about at this point in their burgeoning relationship, Sam framed her reply.

"If the resolution to this tussle for the remote heads in that direction, we may need to step back from each other for a moment. Although I wouldn't mind the resolution you're referring to, lets just wait till we're both ready for that resolution."

Justin nodded in agreement and returned to his seat. Sam joined him a few seconds later once he was situated and comfortable. Before retrieving the remote and pressing play to start the movie, the redhead leaned over to her companion and murmured something in his ear.

"If our wrestling match for the remote had continued in that direction, I would've preferred it to take place in a room far more conducive to that kind of environmental stimulation."

"I see. Maybe next time we won't have to wrestle for the remote to reach that kind of resolution.", he returned quietly.

Sam turned a bright red as the implication of Justin's words hit home. Her embarrassment faded a little bit as the rest of his words penetrated the fog that was clouding her mind. She realized that he was guaranteeing a next time.

_**"And next time, I'll be attired more appropriately for the occasion.", **mused Sam as she snuggled closer to Justin's warmth and watched the opening credits roll by. _

At the Beverly High Field House Clover was searching for Sean in the crowd of football players, who were catching up on weight training, watching tape of their opponent, getting checked out by team medics, studying, or just relaxing and bonding with their teammates. Early in her search, the blonde had spotted her arch nemesis chatting up a couple of the defensive linemen and she'd shaken her head.

"Does she ever give up? Jeez Mandy, give it a rest. These guys don't need your flirting and teasing right now.", muttered Clover to herself as she continued her search.

Clover had walked through the field house twice and was about to give up her search when she ran into Tommy Kurtzmann, the captain of the baseball team.

"Hey Tommy, what's up. What are you doing here; you're not on the football team?", Clover had asked.

"Oh hi Clover, what's up with you? I'm here getting something out of my baseball locker. At the end of the season last year I left it in my locker and worried about it all summer. I've been trying to get in here to get it since the beginning of the school year but keep getting caught up in other stuff. Tonight Sean was able to slip me in under the radar or a few minutes for me to retrieve what I left. ", replied Tommy as he hurriedly stuffed something in his front pants pocket.

"I see. Speaking of Sean, have you seen him lately?', asked Clover.

Tommy shook his head in negation and Clover's spirits dropped.

"I've searched the entire field house and I can't find him. Where could he be?", Clover said to herself.

"Why don't you try the roof? He may be up there. I've heard rumors that he sometimes goes up there to clear his mind after practice.", suggested Tommy.

The way his voice sounded made Clover curious and she turned to face the athlete. Immediately she saw that his attention wasn't on her. Tommy's attention seemed to be on a crowd of players over by the lockers. Clover watched with interest as Tommy's eyes narrowed as he made out what was going on. Following his intense gaze, the cheerleader turned. As usual, the center of attention was Mandy and she seemed to be doing her usual. Before she could turn and thank Kurtzmann for his suggestion, the baseball player headed off in the direction of the disturbance at a rapid pace.

Clover watched Tommy and was a bit surprised when the baseball player grabbed Mandy by the arm and literally dragged her out of the field house. What surprised her even more was that Mandy was allowing it; something Clover thought was out of character for her spitfire rival. Unfortuntaly, Tommy's high-handedness wasn't going down well with the players, Mandy had been flirting with and they followed the baseball player with mayhem in their eyes. They stopped two steps from the door when somebody cleared his throat loudly and caught the attention of everyone in the room.

Sean Lyons had been studying the film of the opposing team's defense in peaceful solitary contemplation when some of his teammates started to arrive. He dealt with the gathering crowd as best as he could before making his departure for the hot tub. On his way he inadvertently bumped into Kurtzmann and helped him inside so he could get what he'd left. After spending twenty minutes soaking in the hot tub, Sean had dressed and headed for his favorite place. He'd stretched out on the roof as the field house filled up. Over the banter, he'd heard Mandy's annoying laugh several times.

Rested and ready to head home, Sean happened to be coming downstairs from the roof when he witnessed the scene between Tommy and Mandy. Knowing that the guys Mandy had been flirting with weren't going to take that from the star of the baseball team, they'd proceeded to follow the couple and threaten the pitcher with bodily harm. Since the pitcher was going to be a teammate in the spring, Sean couldn't allow him to get hurt and had gotten everyone's attention.

Since he was one of the captains of the football team (and the one nobody wanted to mess with) and the main captain for the upcoming game, everyone heeded the unspoken command in his eyes and the noise in the field house died down. Pointing at the transgressors and waving them forward, Sean started to speak.

"I don't know what you guys were planning to do but I could possibly guess. You're lucky that I came down when I did. As long as I'm one of the captains of this team, I will not tolerate the intentional harm of another student in this school, male or female. If any of you even think about hurting another athlete for this school, I can assure you that I will hunt you down and put you out of action. I am serious as 9mm brain surgery. If you want to test me about this be prepared to sit out the remainder of the season due to injuries sustained in a locker room 'accident'. Some of you have already found out how tough I am. Those of you, who have, please inform those of us who haven't exactly what I can do. Now get back to work.", stated Sean in a coldly calm tone of voice.

Waiting for the gaggle of guys to break up and the mumbling and grumbling to subside, Sean spotted Clover and jerked his head at the door. He wanted her out of the field house as soon as possible. Frightened, Clover nodded meekly and made her way to the exit. Once outside, she waited for Sean to show up. When he did, she started to speak but stopped when he whirled on the player standing by the door.

"_What did coach tell you about letting females into the field house like that?_ I don't care if she's the damn student body president; you are not to let any females into the field house on Thursday night without an escort. _Tonight you didn't just fuck up once, you fucked up twice!_ In my book, two fuckups like that means you royally screwed the pooch! From now until the end of the season, if I find out that you've fucked up like this again, I'll request that you be benched for the game if not the rest of the damn season_. Don't ever let it happen again!",_ snarled Sean as he grabbed the player by the front of his shirt and lifted him to the tips of his toes.

"But….but…..but…..", stammered his scared teammate.

"_But nothing!_ If I hadn't been here, some serious shit could've happened that would have screwed entire team. Start thinking with your brains instead of your balls, it'll keep you out of more trouble. Now get back in there and write the coach a letter explaining what you did and place it on his desk. If you're lucky, he'll let me decide what to do with you."

"Okay, I'll do that."

Sean released the teen and changed his malice filled expression to one offering advice.

"In the future think before you act Scott, especially with Mandy. She's the undisputed queen of the school and she thinks it gives her special privileges. Mandy needs to learn that she can't always get her way.", advised Sean in his usual easygoing tone of voice.

"Yeah, okay, Sean thanks a lot. I'll remember that.", answered Scott in a voice full of relief.

Sean nodded and watched as the younger player headed inside the locker room to take care of the task given to him by his team captain. Mentally preparing himself for what he had to do next, the quarterback turned towards Clover. Feeling a bit calmer, Clover allowed herself a sigh of relief and started to move and comment on Sean's handling of the problem. His raised hand cut her off.

"What I told young Scott about not letting any females into the field house on a Thursday night goes for you as well, Clover. Coach wants us to concentrate on the next nights' game on Thursdays, he told the team captains that on Thursday' nights the field house is off limits to females unless they have an escort. Mandy's been flaunting that rule and getting away with it. As you saw tonight, it almost cost her more than she could afford. I've also heard that you've flaunted the rule a few times in the past.", started Sean.

"Yeah I have but its not the same.", answered Clover.

"_Dammit Clover, yes it is_. You don't know how dangerous it can get in there. Against one guy, maybe two you could hold your own. But against a whole team, even you would fall. Trust me on this and keep the other cheerleaders away on Thursday nights until the season ends. Things will have eased up by then."

"What about Mandy, you know she's going to try and slip in again."

"Let Tommy handle Mandy. He can handle her and it would be best if you didn't remind either of them about tonight."

Thoroughly confused about things, Clover allowed Sean to take her hand and gently lead her away from the field house. Minutes later, she found herself riding in the passenger seat of his Audi as he headed over to a burger joint to grab a bite to eat. In her mind, Clover pondered Sean's words. She shivered when what could have happened if neither Tommy nor Sean had been there to cool things down before they could get out of control. Sean noticed Clover's shivers but said nothing as he wheeled his car into a parking spot.

_**"Like Scott, Clover needs to start thinking before acting. She needs to realize what the consequences could have been. Not just for her or Mandy but for the school in general and the team in particular. If things had gone awry tonight, and either of them had been hurt, the entire team would've paid for it. Whether in the injuries I would've caused or in the sanctions the school would've been hit with.", **thought Sean as he helped Clover exit his small car. _

Since the air had gotten a tad bit chilly and Clover was still shivering, Sean opened his trunk and pulled out a lightweight jacket he kept back there and draped it over her shoulders. Clover smiled warmly at him and took a hold of his arm. Right now, she needed his strength to calm her nerves.

"Thanks. I needed that.", she commented quietly.

"It's no problem, Clover. I've always kept an extra jacket in the trunk just for situations like this.", he answered.

Clover hummed to herself for a bit before taking Sean's arm and wrapping it around her shoulder. It made her feel warmer and she could feel the tension from the incident in the field house fading away. The couple entered the place and headed up to the counter where they ordered from the menu. Minutes later the two were seated and enjoying their food and drinks.

The establishment in question was a weekend hangout for students from Beverly Middle and High Schools as well as the local junior and senior colleges. It often times overflowed with an abundance of students and the staff was exceptional. Many of them were students at the local high schools and colleges as well. Clover told all of this to Sean as they consumed their meal.

"Really, I thought the place to hang out was the mall."

"It is. During the week this is the place to hang out. The mall is the hangout on the weekends. Around the Hills there are several fast food places like this one where we congregate. Sam, Alex, and I prefer the sushi place over by the mall though. Its atmosphere is more relaxed. By the way, can you tell what's going on between Mandy and Tommy?", asked Clover as she dipped some of her fries in ketchup.

To cover his unease at being asked that question, Sean took a swig from his large soda. He'd stumbled onto the secret earlier and Tommy had begged him to not tell anyone after explaining the situation. Sean had been skeptical for a minute until an unusually quiet Mandy had told him that the explanation he'd been given was the absolute unvarnished truth. Not wanting to loose the trust placed in him, Sean had agreed to keep the secret if only he could tell Dominic and Justin. Tommy and Mandy had glanced at each other before nodding in agreement.

"Clover, that's something you'll have to ask them about and right now neither of them will tell you anything.", Sean finally answered.

"Oh come on, Sean. You've seen firsthand what Mandy is capable of and you trust her to keep whatever word she's given you? You don't know her that well. Mandy's a snake and will do anything to give herself a leg up. Whatever it is right now, the minute she gets tired of Tommy, she's going to break his heart and I'll be dammed if I let her do that to a good guy like him.", retorted a snarling Clover.

"Maybe, the arrogant, uncaring Mandy you've known all these years is not the true Mandy on the inside, Clover. Have you ever thought of that?", replied Sean quietly and calmly.

Actually she hadn't and his words stopped her next tirade just as it was about to spill from her lips. Looking questioningly at the man across from her, Clover let the matter drop for now. She did want to know the real deal about Mandy and Tommy before graduation. Sean observed his date as he continued with his chicken sandwich. Clover was chewing on her bottom lip as she tried to figure out what he meant. It was obvious to Sean that Clover had never taken that into account in her vicious rivalry with Mandy.

_**"I wouldn't be surprised if there was a fistfight between the two somewhere in their past. Clover and Mandy seem to hate each other's guts for the oddest of reasons.", **thought Sean as he finished his meal. _

Clover decided to let the matter drop for now but she planned to bring it up at a later date. She also vowed to corner Kurtzmann at school one of these days and get the true story about him and Mandy. For her rival to give up that easily and allow somebody to actually pull her away from her adoring throngs, something must either be wrong with Mandy or there's a real quiet relationship somewhere.

Lost in thought, Clover didn't notice when Sean swiped several of her fries. When she caught on to the thievery Clover grabbed his wrist as it made another foray to her side of the table.

"Hey, those are mine! Leave them alone. You ate all of yours!", growled Clover in mock anger.

"Sorry, you looked so lost in thought that I figured that you wouldn't mind me 'borrowing' a few of your fries."

"You 'borrowed' nearly the entire damn plate of my chili cheese covered fries, Sean! I wanted to enjoy those slowly!", pouted Clover.

"Don't worry, Clover baby. I'll make a big platter of my special chili-cheese covered fries on Sunday just for you, dollface."

Clover laughed as Sean tried to imitate a gangster from the 1930's and failed miserably. Once she finished her laughing fit, the cheerleader finished her burger and the little that was left of her fries due to Sean's pilfering. She watched as Sean, ever the gentleman, picked up both of their empty trays and took them over to the trash can where he dumped the wrappings and fry containers before placing the trays in the holder on top of the garbage can.

Twenty minutes later, Sean and Clover were cruising through downtown Beverly Hills as they headed home when Clover asked Sean how fast his car could actually go. She'd seen all the extra gauges and noticed the racing harnesses and bucket seats earlier but didn't think to comment on them.

"Are you sure you really want to know?", asked Sean.

"If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked smartass.", returned Clover.

"Okay, I take it you know where the curviest and most secluded road in the area is. Or better yet, direct me to where the street racers hang out."

Curious and a bit nervous, Clover directed Sean to an industrial area near the water that she'd heard many of Bev High's racers met up at night and raced. She'd never been there herself and usually preferred to stay closer to the center of the city when she went out. Some of Clover's fellow cheerleaders had been though and those that had had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

When the grey Audi arrived there was a race going on. From what Sean and Clover could gather by listening to the crowd, a pair of the fan favorites from different camps was racing each other. On one side were those who preferred domestic cars and looked down on the members of the other group. On the other side were those who preferred to get their speed fix in import cars and dismissed the old stuff as 'ancient' and 'boring'. Sean considered himself a card carrying member of the latter group and had several illegal street racing wins under his belt.

Pulling the TT up next to a tall guy leaning against a Mazda Protégé MP3, Sean cut the engine and both he and Clover climbed out. Sean asked the guy what was going on.

"Nuthin' much, friend. One of those purveyors of old school cool challenged my partner Blaze to a race. He told my friend that his car wasn't shit. Blaze got pissed and accepted the challenge.", answered the driver.

"What's your friend drive?", asked Sean.

"Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec pumpin' about four fifty to the wheels."

"Wicked! Is his GT-R a -34, a 33, or a -32?"

"BNR-33 of course! Although it's heavier than the -32, its hella lighter than that POS Camaro his opponent has. Loser says he's putting out six hundred to the wheels but I know for a fact that SS-boy is on the spray. Last week he got toasted by a Zanardi Edition NSX that wasn't even sprayin' and had the balls to accuse the other guy of cheating."

Clover didn't understand a word of the conversation but she could tell that Sean understood it pretty well. Deciding to wait for Sean to explain, she sat on the hood of his car and watched the action that was going on. It only took a minute or so of observing, that Clover began to get intrigued by this culture. It had its own language, styles, and music that caught her interest. In his peripheral vision, Sean saw that Clover was starting to relax a bit and it made him extremely happy. This street racing culture could have a profound impact on his date by showing her how the other half lived. Returning to his conversation with the MP3 driver, Sean answered a few questions about his car.

"My Quattro is rollin' on some T-1 seventeen's wrapped around some blacked out Enkei wheels."

"Nice, you sprayin' the house down?"

"Nah, I keep away from the spray but I got a single snail attached to this narrow-angle 3.2 liter V6 that puts out about four sixty-five or thereabouts. And that's all I'm sayin'!"

The other driver nodded in respect and turned his attention back to the pair of cars lined up at the makeshift starting line. He pointed out the various factions to Sean and told him about those who he could trust and those he couldn't. One of the other drivers caught Sean's interest and he asked about the guy.

"Oh, you don't wanna race him. He's as dirty as can be. He'll do anything to win a race and I mean anything. He isn't racing because no one will race him due to some of his actions on the street. He's pushin a fox-body horse with a blue oval big block. He only runs straight line but he's got some seriously mean suspension hardware underneath."

Sean felt his adrenalin levels rise and knew he could take the guy. Turning to the other driver he asked the guy to set up a race.

"Tell him, I think his ride sucks much ass and I can take him in a straight line or in the turns. If he agrees, tell him I'll drive with a passenger and I'll still kick his ass by at least ten lengths.", stated Sean before turning to Clover and telling her that if she wanted to see how fast his car will go to climb in and put the passenger seat harness on.

Clover slid off the hood and made her way to the passenger door before climbing in. Sean had to show her how to put the harness on and adjusted it to her slim frame. Before he closed Clover's door and made his way over to the driver's side, Sean gazed at the tableau and smiled. Leaning in and giving Clover a quick kiss, Sean straightened up and made his way over to the driver's side. On his way, the guy he'd been chatting with returned.

"He accepted your challenge and is bringing his car around."

"Anyone taking any bets?"

"Yeah, those domestic dinosaur heads are giving you ten to one odds that you ain't gonna win. They got five hundred on their guy to win.

"Five hundred on their guy, cheap bastards; I could put that up by myself. Tell them just for that insult I'll give him a five car length lead and still beat him by ten.", commented Sean as he strapped in.

"You think you can win with a five length deficit at the start?"

Sean gave the guy a gimlet stare as he started his car. The guy retreated while holding his hands up in surrender.

"Okay… okay…., I guess I'm gonna have to trust you on this. I'll put my money on you to win and see if I can get some of the others to do the same. I just hope you can pull this off."

"You don't have to hope, I know I can pull it off. Now what's the course?"

The other guy leaned into Sean's window and gave him a quick rundown on the course. It consisted of a three mile straight before a series of high and low speed turns before looping around back to the starting line. Clover watched from the passenger seat as Sean nodded and mentally plotted the course. She saw the concentration in his face and made a mental promise to not talk while he was driving.

"Hey Clover, could you look in the armrest and pick a CD for us to listen too? I need some music so I can show this guy that this is just a Sunday drive for us.", asked Sean as he rolled up his window and headed his car towards the starting line.

Astounded at the ease in which he'd asked, Clover just nodded and did as he'd requested. Checking the labels on the CD's in the center console, she saw a familiar title and chose it.

"Will this be okay?", asked Clover as she held the case up so Sean could see it.

"Yeah, that'll do just fine. Are you ready for this?"

For some odd reason, Clover felt calm and not worried. She knew that this type of race was illegal but she had faith in her chosen one and knew instinctively that he wouldn't allow any harm to befall her. Nodding her head to his question, Clover leaned back in her seat and waited for her modern day knight to whisk her away in his gunmetal grey all wheel drive stallion. At the starting line, Clover looked at the car sitting ahead of them and prepared herself. On a whim, the blonde cheerleader quickly dug into her purse and pulled out some lipstick. When Sean cast a curious look her way as he waited for the start signal, she explained her reasoning.

"I'll put on my lipstick as you pass him to show him how casually we're taking this."

A big grin started to spread across Sean's face.

"Oh you devious little minx, I love the way you think."

"I love the way I think too, Sean. Just remember that there are many other places I can be your devious little minx.", responded Clover with a bold gleam in her eyes.

Sean lifted an eyebrow in surprise and stared. He knew what she was referring too but wondered why she'd brought it up in that roundabout kind of way. He couldn't let his mind linger on her words at that moment because one of the observers raised his arms head high before dropping them to start the race. When they saw the arms drop, both drivers stomped the gas peddle and peeled out.

The high pitched whine of the turbo in Sean's car combined with the natural sound of his VR6 engine and the mellowing effect of the Magnaflow muffler crescendoed into its unique-and to some musical- tone that quickly over came the grunt from the eight cylinder engine of his opponent. Within seconds after the arm drop, both cars were no more than rapidly disappearing taillights to the cheering masses gathered around the black strips of rubber recently laid down (and in some cases still smoking) by the two racing vehicles.

Across town, D.C. and Alex were finishing up their dessert and thoroughly enjoying each other's company. The sexual tension between them was high and to Countess de Aquitaine very evident. Making a decision, the countess rose gracefully to her feet and made her way over to the table where Alex and Dominic sat. As she did, the maitre'd hurried over so he could introduce the young patrons to the countess.

Alex relaxed as she sat across from Dominic and listened to him talk. His voice had a pleasing affect and she felt herself slowly relaxing and loosening up. Part of her mind chalked it up to the wine they'd consumed with dinner (between them they'd finished half the bottle) while the other part of her mind blamed it on her attractive companion. Resting her chin on her hands and staring at D.C. over the flickering candles, Alex found her mind drifting away on currents of bliss as Dominic's mellow baritone floated quietly over the table.

Dominic was talking about some of the things he'd seen as a courier when he saw the maitre'd walk up escorting somebody to their table. His pause in the middle of his sentence caught Alex's attention and she asked the reason for the pause. Dominic indicated the approaching restaurant employee.

"It looks like somebody wants to meet us.", D.C. stated.

Alex turned to face the newcomers as they stepped up to the table. Acknowledging the maitre'd with a nod, the teenager shifted her attention to the person with the maitre'd and suddenly her hackles rose. The person with the gentleman was a woman not too many years older than either her or D.C. She was outfitted in an exquisite satin, floor length, long sleeved burgundy dress that Alex knew was so rare it cost a fortune. The woman was wearing a pair of matching gloves and hat that had some sort of half-veil covering the left side of her face.

What bothered Alex more than the outfit was the sensuality and eroticism that dripped from the strange woman in tidal waves. Alex surmised that this lady could have any man in the immediate area without giving it any though and that irritated Alex to no end. She saw this siren as a pretty serious rival for Dominic's affections.

The maitre'd cleared his throat and made the introductions.

"Sir, madam it is my pleasure to introduce you to Countess Teresa de Aquitaine. Countess de Aquitaine is a regular patron as well as one of our shareholders and she showed an interest in meeting you."

Alex cut in before Dominic could answer.

"Thank you for introducing us.", she stated coolly.

Dominic listened to the chill in Alex's voice and wondered what had come over her. She was oozing hostility to the other woman for some unknown reason and D.C. hoped that the countess couldn't sense Alex's hostility. Deciding to keep his mouth shut and observe what happened; Dominic let Alex continue to answer for them.

Unfortunately for Dominic, Teresa could indeed sense the hostility emanating from the younger woman. Teresa guessed that this young lady thought that she was a romantic threat and didn't particularly like the countess' possible competition one bit. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Teresa waved a hand the maitre'd to silence and made a comment about the wine. Out of the corner of her eye, Teresa saw the man stiffen once he heard her voice and then quickly loosen up.

"I see that the two of you have enjoyed the gift I sent over."

Dominic stiffened as he heard the husky voice he knew all too well. Glancing at Alex to see if she'd noticed his reaction, D.C. was relieved that his date hadn't noticed his reaction. He knew that the countess had noticed and mentally swore to himself about his lack of emotional control.

_**"What the hell is Seductress doing here? And why did I react like I did. She taught me better than that. Crap, I feel like an amateur for screwing up so badly in front of her.",** thought D.C. as he took a sip of water to cover his discomfort. _

Thinking back to the training he'd undergone on the island, Dominic froze again as he remembered how Seductress rewarded some of her students. That thought made him pale.

**_"Oh shit, if Alex finds out about Seductress and I. Strike that, if Alex, Sam, and Clover find out about the relationships that all three of us have had with Seductress; we'll be in the doghouse for quite a while. Damn and Seductress still has the videos of those sessions."_**

As soon as he stiffened at his thought, Dominic relaxed. There was no way Alex would think that he and the countess had a romantic relationship much less tie her and her training activities to WOOHP. Dominic was sure that Alex had never heard of the secret agency he and his friends worked for.

_**"That's a secret I'll keep from her for all eternity. Alex doesn't need to worry about what I do for the agency. It could possibly ruin her for life.", **thought D.C. as he watched the semi-hostile interaction between his date and his former trainer. _

At the other end of the table, Alex was gritting her teeth in an effort to keep from jumping out of her seat and socking the countess in the jaw. Keeping a false smile on her face so as not to cause an international incident, Alex politely listened as Countess de Aquitaine waxed philosophical about the many different wines the restaurant kept in its cellar. When the countess had finished her spiel, Alex cast a look in Dominic's direction and saw that her date was ostensibly checking his watch. With her perfect evening slowly unraveling, Alex cut the countess off before she could change the topic of the conversation.

"Dominic darling, do we still have time to make it to the theatre to catch that movie we were planning on seeing after dinner, sweetie?", Alex asked sweetly.

Caught out by the sudden question, Dominic's expression gave away his confused state and he didn't answer the question. Quickly taking advantage of the short silence, Alex made a big show of checking her watch and starting to rise from her seat as if she was in a hurry. The maitre'd, a bit quicker on the uptake than either Teresa or Dominic clapped his hands and had one of his assistants bring a small gold embossed leather check holder and passed it to Dominic. Dominic accepted the holder and took a quick glance at the cost of the meal. He didn't actually wince but came very close to it when he saw the total cost of dinner and dessert. Reaching for his wallet to pull out his credit card, D.C. felt the leather object slip easily through his fingers.

"Ah, don't worry about dinner. Tonight it will be on me on one condition.", the countess stated as she pulled a pen out from somewhere and sighed the check with a flourish before turning to Alex.

"And what condition is that, countess?", Alex asked warily.

"I would like for you and your boyfriend to attend a party I'm throwing in a few weeks. Here is my phone number and address. You don't have to decide now. Just decide when you want and let me know.", said the countess as she handed Dominic her card which Alex adroitly slipped from his hand due to his inattention.

"If we do decide to attend, could some of our friends come with us?", asked Dominic as he returned his wallet to his pocket.

"But of course. If you and your friends decide to go, I respectfully request that you attire yourselves in formal wear. I'll send my car to pick you up."

"We'll see Countess de Aquitaine. Thank you for your hospitality, now pardon my rudeness but if you'll excuse us, we do have a movie to try and make.", commented Alex as D.C. rose to his feet.

Teresa, sensing the hostility from the younger woman nodded gracefully and allowed Alex her victory for the evening. Teresa had enjoyed the unconscious verbal fencing she'd initiated. With a wave of her hand, Countess Teresa de Aquitaine let the maitre'd lead her to the door where he signaled for her car to be brought around to the front of the restaurant. Back at their table, Alex watched the other woman depart with a look of undisguised hostility before turning her glare in D.C.'s direction. Seeing his questioning look, Alex let her glare fade away and sighed.

_**"Damnit, I think I just screwed up my chances with him by showing a jealousy I had no idea I was capable of. First in the hallway at school I almost punched Mandy in the nose. He stopped me from making that mistake. Now here I am being hostile to a countess who seemed a bit over-friendly. What is going on with me?", **thought Alex as Dominic got up from his seat and came around to hers. _

Wanting to continue the evening in a more romantic place, D.C. asked Alex if she was ready to leave.

"Since the bill was already paid, we can go ahead leave. It looks like business is starting to pick up a bit and there looks to be a small crowd waiting for tables."

"Yes I am ready to leave. Our night is not finished though. I told you I was going to show you the sights of Beverly Hills and I keep my promises.", said Alex as she smiled in his direction.

The thousand watt smile she sent his way as he helped Alex to her feet unconsciously warmed him and made him feel lighter than he thought possible. At that instant, Dominic Calvin James mentally vowed to never allow that smile to fade. A new emotion was flowing over him and he didn't know what it was. On a whim, D.C. gently took Alex's face between his hands and placed a lingering kiss on her soft waiting lips.

**_Cue: 'What is Love' by Haddaway_**

Alex was surprised at first by the kiss but it didn't take long for her to fully relax into it and return it with interest. Taking a hold of the pair of warm hands gently encircling her face, Alex moved them down to her hips where they felt a bit more natural. Once his hands were situated, Alex placed her hands on D.C.'s shoulders and reluctantly broke the kiss. She saw the disappointed look in his eyes and gave him a short explanation.

"We have an audience, love. And our night is not yet complete.", murmured Alex as she led Dominic towards the entrance.

Without much of a choice (and not caring if there was one), Dominic followed Alex like a puppy following its master. Outside, logic returned to D.C. as he opened his car door so Alex could lower herself into her seat. Watching as she sat down and rotated her body into the car to preserve her modesty. Dominic allowed himself a brief flash of imagination at the treasures that rested underneath her dress. When Alex was enthroned inside the car, Dominic closed the door and made his way around to the driver's side where the valet held his door open.

Generously tipping the young man for his work, Dominic climbed into the running vehicle and closed the door. Securing his seatbelt and making sure Alex's was secured with a quick glance in her direction, he shifted the transmission into gear and pulled away from the site of their dinner. With Alex navigating, the midnight blue right hand drive car easily merged with traffic and set off at a crisp-but legal- pace to their next stop on the tour.

A few hours later, Alex had asked D.C. to pull into a parking lot next to a park. This was the last thing she was going to show him on this tour. As he pulled into the lot, Dominic saw several cars already there and saw that there was a well lit walking trail that meandered towards the ocean. Shutting off the engine, and unbuckling his seatbelt, D.C climbed out of hic car and made his way over to the passenger side to meet Alex as she climbed out.

"Dominic, love, this is the last place I wanted to bring you. I come here often when I have a lot on my mind. It's relaxing to follow the trail to the ocean and just sit there and listen to the waves as they roll in and out of the harbor.", commented Alex as entwined her hand in his.

"I understand. Back at home I used to have a place that did the same thing for me. Even Justin and Sean have places like that. I guess everyone has a place where they just want to be alone.", responded Dominic softly.

Alex gazed up at the taller teen and pulled him onto the trail.

"Let's not talk about either of our friends right now, okay?", asked Alex shyly.

Unconsciously knowing when to say something and when to acquiesce to her wishes, Dominic nodded and allowed her to lead him on to the lighted path. Within minutes after starting on the path, Alex had snuggled up under Dominic's arm and wrapped her arms around his waist to enjoy a heretofore feeling of closeness neither had shared with anyone in their previous relationships.

Lost in the closeness, and following the well lit path towards the sea, neither noticed many of the other couples cozying up together on the benches in the dimly lit shadows. Some of the couples were holding hands and embracing, while others just sat and drank in the night air. There were a few that they had seen whom had gone beyond just simply embracing and were taking full advantage of the solitude provided by trees branches obscuring the offshoots of the main trail from casual view. Alex let her mind take her away as she noticed another couple hidden in the thickets.

_**"Maybe some day as our relationship will progress in that direction, Dominic and I will find ourselves here amid the bushes like the couple over there.", **thought Alex as she and Dominic continued to follow the trail. _

_**Cue: 'P.D.A.' by John Legend**_

It wasn't too long until the smell of salt water informed the pair that the ocean was just ahead. Neither quickening his pace nor slowing it down, Dominic allowed Alex to step in front of him. When she did, he came up from behind Alex and gently enclosed her in his arms. He'd seen her shiver a bit when the ocean breeze caressed them and figured that he could keep her warm with his embrace. They approached the railing that kept passersby from falling into the crashing surf below and gazed about at the numerous private pleasure watercrafts floating serenely too and fro with all lights ablaze.

Here a small cruise ship sailed serenely towards the open ocean with a raucous party filling up its aft deck. There a fifty-two foot sailboat gracefully sailed into the harbor on the whispering wings of the wind. Everywhere the sounds of crying seagulls, different kinds and styles of music, and the ocean itself made a cacophony of noise that somehow melded together into one of nature's unknown symphonies only heard by those with vivid imaginations.

"It's beautiful out here.", Dominic breathed in awe.

"Yes, it is. Now do you see why I like it out here? It's so peaceful and relaxing. The night we first met, this was the place I was heading to when I stopped at the club. You know the rest from that point.", spoke Alex softly as Dominic turned and leaned against the railing while pulling her closer.

Dominic nodded and gazed at Alex for a moment. Alex knew what was coming and did not shy away. She went to the tips of her toes and arched her head up to meet his as it descended to claim her lips like a grand prize he'd won after intense competition. Their lips met and the electric feeling that had been strong before was nearly unbearable. It as so strong that other couples walking on the embarcadero that night could feel the energy coming from the passionately lip-locked teenagers. When the two finally broke for air, both could see the strain in keeping their passions from running wildly rampant reflected in the eyes of the other. Dominic suggested they take a walk further down the harbor walk and find a bench to sit down and observe their surroundings. Alex agreed with a nod of her head. She felt as if her voice would've failed her and left her unable to speak as she reveled in his presence. Alex also knew that the walk would bring their incendiary passions to a more controllable level so they wouldn't find themselves doing anything foolish this early in their relationship.

Hand in hand, the two strolled down the harbor walk, occasionally stopping by the booths that lined the esplanade and purchasing small trinkets or ice cream in waffle cones and talking about their lives and their futures. Sometimes they vaguely hinted at a possible future together but often times they just extolled what they wanted to do with their lives after graduation from high school. Alex and Dominic finally found a well isolated seat at a small point near where the walkway ended. They sat down and observed the passage of some more ships and the other couples against the railing.

By Dominic's count, time had fled by on swift, silent wings and he was surprised when over two hours later he looked down and saw that his alluring companion had fallen asleep and was resting her head on his shoulder. He reached into his pocket and retrieved his handkerchief and gently wiped away a spot of dried ice cream from the corner of her full lips that begged to be thoroughly kissed until they were swollen with passion. D.C. grinned and gently shook Alex awake. Alex started and lifted her head. She had been enjoying a dream that depicted her future with this man she loved. Wiping some of the sleep away from her eyes, she moaned as the effects from the wooden bench made itself known.

"Alex. Alex, wake-up. It's time to go. We still have to be at school tomorrow and I want to get you home so you can get a few more hours of sleep.", said D.C. quietly as he stroked her cheek with a finger.

"Hmm, oh… okay Dominic. I'm awake. What time is it?", asked Alex as she slowly came to full consciousness and glanced around.

Hearing the click that signified that D.C. was checking his pocket watch, she stretched. As she did, Alex realized that she had a very important question to ask D.C. before they got home. Hearing his soft voice tell her that it was nearing one thirty in the morning, she reluctantly agreed that is was getting late. Picking up the respectably-sized stuffed wolf Dominic had purchased for her as they made their way down the embarcadero, Alex watched as Dominic rose to his feet and stretched before offering her his hand to help her to her feet. Deciding that if she didn't ask now, she'd never ask, Alex went for it and asked the question that had been welling inside of her.

"Dominic, I ah. I'm wondering where do we go after tonight? In what direction does this relationship go?", asked Alex all the while dreading his answer.

Dominic glanced at Alex with hooded eyes but she refused to back down from his stare. When he raised his head to watch as they retraced their steps, Alex was about to slowly disentangle her hand from his. Dominic's voice stopped her.

"Alex, I thought you knew where we stood with each other. After tonight, I hope our relationship continues to grow towards a future together; I want it to grow. But if you want me to, I can say the words that I can tell you so desperately want to hear. From this point forward I consider us as going steady with each other. Don't you?", stated D.C. with a slight lilt to his voice at the end of his speech.

Alex heard the words but couldn't believe them and abruptly came to a stop. Caught off guard by Alex, Dominic jerked to a halt in front of her. He could see that in the moonlight her eyes were glittering with unshed tears.

"Dominic do you mean what I think you mean, does this mean that we…?", stammered Alex in apparent shock.

"Yes Alex, it means what you think it means.", Dominic answered quietly.

"Please, Dominic, say those words.", Alex whispered.

Dominic leaned down and quietly said the three words she wanted to hear so desperately into her waiting ears. The words rang true in her heart and started the storm of tears that glistened in her beautiful dark orbs. Throwing caution to the winds and damn the consequences, Alex threw herself into Dominic's open arms, tears flowing freely down her face. Tonight, Alex felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she could face whatever the world threw at her as long as she was by Dominic's side.

Lifting Alex up off of her feet and holding her close as her tears fell, D.C. murmured words of passion into her ears. Alex listened and agreed to his words. They needed to get home and get some sleep so that when they came to school the next day, everyone would know that Dominic Calvin James was officially hers and that any woman who dared even think about taking him away from her would best watch out. Alex's temper was already becoming a legend but now there was even more to it and Alex planned on letting the other girls at school know point blank, to not even think about messing with her man.

Together Alex and Dominic made their way back to the trail that would lead them back to the parking lot where D.C.'s FTO awaited. As they made the turn onto the trail, they heard a pair of semi-familiar voices. Due to the dampening effect by the tree leaves in the park, the owners of the voices weren't quickly identified.

"What were you doing in there tonight….? You know what our… have proscribed for us. Why do you do this to me? Every time I see you acting the way you act, it tears me apart.", came the voice of the man.

"I don't know why I do what I do. I know that we're betrothed to each other…. but I just can't seem to stop myself. It's this damn….. with that blasted blonde bitch….something about her just sets me off and I don't know why. It's been like that since junior high. …. With her snagging one of the new guys it just doesn't…. and with her friend….me that day. Tommy, I just don't know what to do?", replied the voice of the female who sounded as if she was crying.

"If it hurts you that bad, stop this asinine competition and we'll be able to announce what should have been announced when we first arrived at Beverly High. You don't know how much it pains me to see the guys who chase after you. It doesn't help that you lead them on, Mandy!."

The rest of the conversation was lost as Alex and Dominic continued towards his car, minds reeling by what they'd just heard. Tommy Kurtzmann and Mandy van der Pelt were betrothed and had been ever since before high school. In Alex's mind, this was gossip that she had to get to Clover fast. Her thoughts were interrupted by D.C.'s clutching of her arm.

"Whatever you're thinking, Alex don't tell Clover about Mandy and Tommy. This is their business and we have no need to go spreading it around school. If they've kept it a secret for this long., let's help them keep it till graduation.", hissed Dominic.

Alex wanted to tell but she felt that if she did spill it, her new boyfriend might end the relationship before it even got started. Shaking her head in agreement, Alex agreed to keep from telling her blonde friend about Tommy and Mandy. By now they had returned to Dominic's car and he unlocked the doors using the remote. Both teens climbed in and secured their seatbelts before D.C. started the car, shifted into gear, and backed out of his parking spot. Minutes later, D.C. had merged with the rest of the late night traffic and was headed towards their neighborhood.

The only words spoken as the midnight blue car carried its occupant's home were comments about the evening and the music. Alex rested he head on the soft leather headrest and watched as Dominic shifted gears with a crisp smoothness she knew she couldn't match. Returning her gaze to the front and looking out the windshield and window on her side of the car, Alex thought about the new and favorable turn the relationship between her and Dominic had taken. At least now she knew that with her status as D.C.'s girlfriend not too many girls were going to attempt to steal him away.

D.C. concentrated on his driving; trying to make it as smooth as possible for the woman in the seat next to him. It was hard because the noise from the tires and the music from the CD player were combining to try and force him into a very light sleep and he was fighting it with all of his might. It took him a moment to register that Alex hadn't said anything for the past several miles and he worriedly glanced over only to discover that the combination of tire noise and music had lulled the beautiful woman next to him to sleep.

Dominic chuckled as he heard Alex's feminine snoring. At least it wasn't as bad as the snoring he often heard from his roommates and it was loads better than his own 'alleged' snoring. Turning on to their street, D.C. recognized the grey car that had made the turn before him.

_**"Hmmmm, I wonder why Sean is getting home so late. He was only going to the field house to watch video of their opponent for tomorrow. Oh I see, he ran into Clover and turned the meeting into an impromptu date.", ** thought D.C. as he watched the grey Audi Quattro pass their driveway to pull into a driveway further down the street. _

Dominic pulled into the villa driveway just as Sean and Clover exited the car. Both seemed to be laughing about something or another as they headed for the front door with Clover in the lead. Parking his car beside the grey all wheel drive two door coupe, D.C. shut off his engine. That caught the attention of the two giggling idiots at the door. Both Clover and Sean turned in his direction as he climbed out. Dominic noticed with approval that Sean had interspersed his body between Clover and any possible threat and nodded once at his teammate. He called out to the brown-haired man and his blonde companion and saw Sean visibly relax as he recognized Dominic's voice.

"Hi Clover, Sean, out a bit late aren't you?", asked D.C. as he started to open Alex's door.

"Yeah, you know how it is. Ran into Clover at the field house and we went out to grab a quick bite to eat.", replied Sean as he squeezed Clover's arm to keep her from telling his friend about the events at the field house.

"Ah, okay. Sean, can you give me a hand with Alex, she fell asleep on the way home. Just help me get her out of the car and I'll carry her inside."

Sean nodded and, after sharing a quick kiss with Clover that D.C. ignored as he unbuckled Alex's seatbelt, the brown-haired quarterback headed over to help his friend. Working quietly, quickly and efficiently, it was only a matter of minutes before Alex was situated comfortably in Dominic's cradled arms. The female soccer star had awoken only once and that was to offer up a sleepy smile as she felt herself being carried into the house before dropping off back to sleep with her arms entwined around Dominic's neck.

Dominic effortlessly carried Alex inside the spacious three-story villa, all the while marveling at the light weight and supple firmness that exposed her athleticism without compromising her femininity. Following Clover's softly spoken direction, it wasn't long before Dominic found Alex's room on the second floor. As he unlatched the door with his free hand and gently pushed the door open, Dominic asked Clover to run out to his car and retrieve her roommates' purse and the stuffed wolf taking up a prominent position in his backseat.

Once inside Alex's room, Dominic made his way over to the full-sized bed in the center of the room with all of Alex's whimsical stuffed animals scattered hither and yon over the mattress and throughout the room. At the bed, Dominic eased his precious bundle into the center of the mattress before sliding his arms out from underneath her prone form. Once Alex was situated in bed, Dominic moved down towards the foot and sat down on the edge of the mattress. Turning sideways and glancing at sleeping beauty, Dominic carefully slipped Alex's shoes off of her feet and placed them together at the foot of the bed. Hearing padded footsteps approaching the room, Dominic glanced towards the door just as Clover appeared with the big stuffed wolf and her friends' purse. Seeing Dominic's position at the end of the bed, the blonde quirked an eyebrow and looked as if she was about to ask a question. Thinking better of it, Clover shook it off and put the plushy animal within Alex's reach if she reached out for the object during what was left of the night. With a sisterly smile, Clover gazed at her friend for a moment before placing the small purse on the nightstand. Turning to leave, she saw Dominic looking at her with a slight frown on his face.

"What's wrong, D.C.? ", asked Clover as she leaned against the dresser.

"Umm, ahh. Clover, I have a slight dilemma.", stammered Dominic.

Clover waited for him to explain until it became obvious that he didn't particularly want to bring it up. She followed his gaze and immediately discerned the problem. Shaking her head at his politeness, Clover waved his concerns off.

"I see. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of that for you. I know she doesn't like to fall asleep wearing panty hose. I do respect that fact that you waited for me to return to address your concerns. I'll undo the zipper on her dress as well but you can tuck her in.", commanded Clove as she replaced D.C. at the foot of the bed and proceeded to put her words in action.

Clover appreciated the fact that as she was divesting Alex of her pantyhose, Dominic kept his eyes averted from the scene. When she was finished with that, Clover made her way to the head of the bed to unzip the dress. Just as she started the process, Alex suddenly rolled over and sleepily sat up. Quickly stepping back, Clover saw that even though she was moving, Alex was still half asleep. The blonde smothered a yelp when an unconcerned Alex started to take off her own clothes. Thinking quickly, Clover hurried over to Dominic (who was staring at Alex's smooth shoulders with his jaw agape) and pushed him out of the room with a surprising quickness.

_"Out…out…out…out! Get out!", _hissed Clover while closing the door behind Dominic as she forced him out of the room.

A muffled curse was heard and Clover cracked a smile as she recognized Sean's voice. As his friend was being shoved out of the room, Sean had stuck his head around the corner to ask what was wrong. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door closed in his face and smashed his nose.

_**"Serves him right for being nosy like that.", **thought Clover wickedly. _

"Clover, what was that noise? I thought I heard a squeak?", asked Alex sleepily as she finished stepping out of her dress and let it pool around her feet on the floor.

Seeing that Alex was completely out of it, Clover shook her head. The blonde watched as Alex picked her way over to her dresser while undoing the latch of the gold watch on her left wrist and carefully placing the watch (which Clover had found out a few years back was a family heirloom from Alex's late great-grandmother) inside her jewelry box. As Alex turned away from the dresser, Clover's eyebrow lifted in surprise, Alex was wearing something that she had violently vowed she'd never wear. Curious at when and where her friend had purchased the item after vociferously arguing against it, Clover asked about the white lace thong Alex had on.

"Alex, umm pardon me for asking this, but when and where did you buy that thong? I mean after telling us that you'd never buy one much less wear it. I'm just curious.", questioned Clover while casting a glance at the still closed door.

"Hmm, oh this, I don't know when I bought it but I did get it from someplace at The Groove. Usually I wouldn't even think about wearing something like this but something told me to wear it tonight. Come to think of it, why am I wearing this now?", asked a still sleepy Alex as she padded lithely across the room on leg muscles turned firm by her years of soccer.

Clover let a flash of jealousy slip into her expression before quickly covering it up with a knowing grin. With Alex's trim athletic body and firm muscles, Clover knew that neither she nor Sam could pull off looking that sensual in a simple piece of underwear. The white lace gleamed on Alex's brown-skinned body and Clover felt an alien longing as she glimpsed the soft curls of Alex's sex as they curled around the edges of the lace and were visible through the nearly see through front of her undergarments. Squelching the thought as Alex pulled a night gown out of her closet and slipped it over her head, Clover turned and faced the door in preparation for leaving Alex to sleep.

Hearing the soft whoomph as Alex again slowly lowered herself to her mattress, Clover thanked all the stars above that neither Dominic nor Sean had been in the room when Alex changed clothes. Well, at least her new boyfriend hadn't been in the room. If he had, she would've brained him with one of the soccer trophies on Alex's desk. If he was going to get an eyeful of skin, Clover preferred it to be hers than anyone else's.

_**"Now if Dominic had been in the room, things could've gotten….interesting. Dare I say things could have been 'edcuational'? Sam and I discussed this awhile back and both of us believe most wholeheartedly that Alex would probably be a screamer."**, mused Clover as she made sure Alex had fallen back asleep before allowing Dominic back into the room. _

Dominic reentered the room looking sheepish as Sean peeked around the corner again. The brown haired quarterback jerked his head back when he saw his girlfriend giving him the evil eye and signaling him to get lost for a short bit. Turning to face D.C. Clover told him that he could go ahead and tuck her in before leaving for his own dwelling. D.C. thanked Clover for her help in getting Alex to bed and situated where she could happily snore the rest of the night away.

"It's no problem Dominic. She's one of my best friends and we try and take care of each other. You just make sure that you never hurt her in anyway or both Sam and I will be after you. Now hurry up and tuck her in so you can drag Sean home with you and have Justin bring Sam home.", said Clover as she left the bedroom in search of her wayward beau.

Once Clover had left the room, Dominic turned to the figure laying curled up in the center of the bed as if she had nary a care in the world. He smothered a laugh as Alex's arms had unconsciously found the stuffed wolf and drawn it close to her as she slept. Kneeling down beside the bed, D.C. gently brushed a wayward curl from her exquisite hairstyle away from her cheek and noticed that her body naturally gravitated to the slight warmth. Casting a look at the door, Dominic slipped the sheets down around his chosen lady and gently covered Alex with the sheets and her comforter. Alex didn't make a sound as he moved up to the head of the bed.

Reaching into the inside pocket of his vest, D.C. pulled out a long slender case similar to the case he'd swiped from Justin and given to Sam earlier. The only difference was that this case was slightly wider than the other one. Opening the case, Dominic caught his breath as his eyes took in the pair of slender golden chains. One chain was smaller than the other but both had an opal sitting in a filigreed setting as the necklace's centerpiece.

With a quick glance at Alex, confirming that she was still asleep, D.C. took the larger chain out of the box and unclasped it. Leaning over the bed he saw that Alex still laid curled up in a ball with her new stuffed animal clutched in her grasp. Taking a deep, but silent, breath, D.C., gently rolled Alex over on to her back and slowly draped the chain over her head while making sure that the centerpiece of the necklace didn't touch bare skin and rested on the material of her nightgown. Once he was sure that she wouldn't feel the excess weight and the coolness of the gift, Dominic had to carefully lift Alex's head up so he could slip the ends around her neck and secure the chain. He completed that part of his task in a short time and sat back to study his handiwork. During the entire evolution, Alex never stirred.

_**"She must've been more exhausted than either of us thought.", **mused D.C. as he stifled his own yawn. _

Returning his attention to the box he'd left on the bed, Dominic picked up the second chain and undid its clasp. Since it was going around the neck of the stuffed wolf, it was easier than his other task and went slightly faster (although her ironclad grip on the stuffed wolf stymied him for a second). When everything was done, Dominic stood back and gazed longingly at his love. As he did, an immensely strong desire to join Alex in her bed and protect her from the horrors of her nightmares filled him and he almost gave in to it but Dominic's sense of morality kicked in and told him that there would be a time and a place for that feeling to be appeased later on in their relationship. Leaning down over Alex as she lay sleeping, Dominic pressed his lips to hers and allowed them to linger there for a minute or so before very reluctantly withdrawing them to whisper into her ear and hope that his words punched through her sleep filled mind. Moving towards the door after one last look at his sleeping princess, Dominic left the room and switched off the light. As he stepped through the door and into the hallway to allow Clover to quietly shut the door, Dominic never saw the soft smile that flitted across Alex's face as something in her dreams made her happy.

Descending the stares, Dominic found Sean and Clover sitting on the couch sucking face and cleared his throat to get their attention. The pair jumped apart like startled deer and D.C. suppressed the urge to laugh at their innocent expressions and concentrated his attention on his open pocket watch.

"Sean, let's go. We still got to get some sleep ourselves and we need to make sure that Justin and Sam are alright.", commented Dominic as he made his way to the front door without looking at the couple snow sitting at opposite ends of the couch.

"Uhm, yeah right D.C. I'll be there in a sec okay?", came Sean's reply.

D.C recognized the plea from Sean for him to give them a couple of minutes alone but ignored it and shook his head. He heard the frustrated explosion of breath and correctly guessed that Sean was trying to apologize to Clover without using words. Shaking his head one last time, the six foot two and a half inch, two hundred and twenty-seven pound teenager, stepped outside and made his way to his car. Closing the door to the passenger side, Dominic returned to the driver's side and climbed in. Starting his car, he rolled own his window and cast a glance back at the villa where his lady rested. As he did, D.C. saw Sean come stumbling out of the house and making his way to the car parked to Dominic's right. Chuckling silently as he noticed that Sean's shirt had been pulled out of his pants, and his belt was undone, Dominic reversed out of the driveway and drove a few houses up and pulled into his shared driveway.

Killing the engine and climbing out of the car as he slid his keys into his front pocket, D.C. headed for the door. He was reaching for the doorknob when it began to turn of its own volition. Expecting Sam to be the one leaving (and hopefully avoiding another embarrassing scene being played out) D.C stepped out of the way. He wasn't surprised when the first face he saw was Justin's. What surprised him was the light strain that was appearing on his face. Worried about something wrong with his friend, D.C. reached out to give J.T. a hand only to retract it when it became readily apparent why J.T. was exerting himself.

Justin was carrying a sleeping Samantha on his back and judging from J.T.'s expression, the red-head lived up to her full-figured appearance.

Seeing his friends and cautioning them with a look to not say a word, Justin explained his predicament.

"Sam fell asleep while we watched movies. Since she wouldn't wake up to the point where I could walk her home, I decided to carry her. I'd planned on carrying her cradled in my arms but this woman weights a tad bit more than she looks.", commented Justin.

From over his shoulder, Sam muttered sleepily for some unknown person to shut up and continue typing. Sean and Dominic tried hard not to laugh as Justin glared at his friends. He was already a bit miffed at D.C.'s pilfering the necklace he'd pricked out for Sam but it was canceled out by the fact at least Sam had allowed him to put it on her instead of D.C. Grumbling to himself, Justin headed towards the sidewalk with his burden and disappeared. Dominic turned to Sean and asked him a question.

"Hell I don't think he minds giving her a piggyback ride regardless of how much he grumbled. You could sense his underlying exultation as he held on tightly. Besides, did you see where his hands were?"

"Yeah, I just hope that your girlfriend doesn't kill him for holding her rear end like he is. It's like he has a death grip on her butt. How much do you want to bet that when Justin gets back he'll admit that she's faking the sleep?"

"No bet, it wouldn't be fair. And how did you know that Clover and I are officially going out?", asked Sean as he and his friend entered the house together.

Dominic rolled his eyes in exasperation and reminded him of his still unbuckled pants. Sean had the grace to look embarrassed as he hurriedly redid them before dropping into a chair in the living room. Watching Dominic head into the kitchen, Sean asked him to grab him a coke or something. Dominic said okay and reappeared in the doorway to the kitchen and tossed Sean a bottle of soda. Sean caught the bottle as Justin walked through the door. Before he could speak, Dominic cut him off.

"You don't have to say it J.T. it was a bit obvious. Here have a drink and congratulations. Same to you Sean.", said D.C. as he tossed his blonde friend a soda.

"Same to you Dominic.", replied Sean.

"Looks like all three of us are no longer single.", added Justin.

The three young men took deep draughts from their drinks before starting to share their adventures of the evening.

"Hey guys, I got some information that will knock your socks off. Did either of you know that Tommy Kurtzmann and Mandy are engaged and have been betrothed since before high school?", asked Sean as he propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"Yeah, Alex and I heard them as we were leaving a park after dinner. They were hidden by some leaves but we were able to get the gist of the conversation. Alex, of course wants to tell Clover but I cautioned her to drop the subject. We left before either they could catch us eavesdropping or before we could catch them in a compromising position.", commented D.C as he stretched his lanky frame out on the couch.

Justin nodded and mentioned that neither he nor Sam had heard about it till now and he promised to keep the info from Sam as well.

"Now all we got to do is keep Clover from asking Kurtzmann or Mandy point blank. We'll have to catch him and tell him that the three of us know. I'll talk to him tomorrow after French class and leave the ball in his court.", sighed D.C. as he finished his drink.

Justin and Sean nodded at Dominic's words then waited for what else was on their friends mind. Years of working and living beside each other had them being able to read each other's body language no matter the situation. As they watched D.C. lift himself up and rotate himself to face the room while leaning forward, they cast sharp looks at each other. Something was up and it was causing a dilemma within D.C. Sean and Justin waited for their friend to speak. When he did, it took all of their composure to keep from dropping their drinks.

"Alex and I ran into the Seductress tonight. With our three week assignment to the island just a few days away, this bodes badly for us. Of course you know that we're going after the Tortoise with Ice Dancer and that Natasha has authorized Freelancer status. You also know how Seductress will feel when she hears about this mission.", commented Dominic quietly.

"Natasha authorized Freelancer status for us? You know what that means, right?", asked Justin.

Dominic nodded as he remembered the uber top secret briefing him and his guys had gotten on that code word authorization. He glanced at Sean, who was obviously thinking the same thing as D.C. Sean summed their situation up in one word.

"Shit!"

"You said it."

"Guys, sorry for asking but I've forgotten the majority of what the Freelancer authorization means. Can either one of you give me a nutshell summary of that designation to refresh my memory.", asked Justin.

Sean and Dominic glanced at each other before Dominic started to explain. When he finished, Justin shared the grim expression with his friends.

"Sean you have it right. This sucks."

Before either of the trio could gripe anymore, Justin suddenly sat up and reminded Dominic of what he had in his car.

"Oh shit, not the bottle Seductress gave us? Alex will kill me if I forget about it!", snapped D.C. as he jumped up and rushed out to his car.

Seconds later, D.C. returned carrying the prized bottle of wine and explained that it had been a gift from Seductress. The teen explained the reasoning behind the gift from their instructor and threatened them with major harm if they even thought about getting any of the wine. When Sean and Justin complained, Dominic told them to shove it.

"Take Clover and Sam out to the restaurant. Maybe you'll get lucky and Seductress will be there. Better yet ask her when we get to the party she invited us to in a few weeks.", snapped Dominic as he locked the bottle securely away in the cabinet.

As Sean and Justin pestered him with questions about the invitation, Dominic yawned again and started to head upstairs.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow. I'm tired and it's late. I'm going to bed."

His friends followed his example and twenty minutes later the house was quiet except for the radios playing in each bedroom. In his bedroom at the front of their house, Dominic lay down on top of his sheets wearing only a pair of soccer shorts and an old raggedy t-shirt. Looking out the window, he gazed at the dark villa down the street and wished he'd stayed there and shared Alex's bed rather than sleeping alone in his own. Yawning one last time, D.C. James closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. A sleep that was anything but restful as images of his time with Alex tumbled around his mind and shared space with images of his times with the Seductress.

Dominic Calvin James knew that on Monday after school, his relationship with Alex would be put to the ultimate test as he and his teammates prepared for what the Seductress could dish out during her training of agents.

_**"Dear Lord please give me the strength to resist Countess de Aquitaine's wiles as my friends and I undergo her special brand of training to prepare us for our toughest assignment to date.", ** prayed D.C. mentally as he restlessly slept in the cool darkness of his room. _

**And there it is the end of 'Agents and Operatives' Chapter Two. Once again I deeply and sincerely apologize for the length of this chapter (70 pages, damn that's even long for me). I hope that the length of this chapter and the previous one don't deter anyone from enjoying this story. In the future I'll try to shorten my chapters (hopefully).**

**One of the reasons this chapter is so lengthy is that somewhere in the middle (approximately around the time of the first part of Alex and Dominic's date), my idiotically brilliant self somehow stepped away from the characters I was concentrating to do scenes containing Sean and Clover and Justin and Sam. Those scenes weren't supposed to appear here. I don't know why I added them but I do hope they enhance the story for those fans that prefer to read about the burgeoning relationships between Clover and Sean and Justin and Sam. **

**One thing I want to say about the scene between Clover and Sean in the field house was hard for me to write because of what I was intending to portray. Thankfully I finished it on a good note and even foreshadowed something I was hoping to bring out in the open in a later chapter (those of you who figure out what I mean, drop me a line and maybe I'll give you a cameo appearance: here's a hint, I clarified it a bit more a tad bit later in this chapter). **

**Now for all of you who reviewed my first chapter of this story, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and hope that my portrayal of the characters is to your liking (yes they are a bit out of character as the chapter progresses but I mean to do that). I hope you wish me the best in continuing this story. **

**The next chapter is going to jump ahead three weeks to the point where Alex, Sam, and Clover are going to head out for their training under the countess. Of course there's going to be some misunderstandings between the girls and guys but eventually it's going to work itself out. Some of you are wondering when I'm planning on having Jerry reveal to the girls who the guys of Foxfire actually air. Don't worry it's coming soon and the identities of the teams are going to become apparent to each other through an unexpected twist (or expected if you are following the story close enough to read between the lines). Also next chapter I plan on bringing in three characters from another series. I think I mentioned who they are (or will be) in my bio. I'm working on the first chapter of that story as we speak. Once I finish both stories (or at least get far enough along so I can start on it), there will be a crossover. So keep your eyes out for the first chapter of the other story but that may take awhile since I'm concentrating on this story and 'Sylvia's Solitary Soldier' and 'Return of the Razgriz' at the moment. Hopefully I can get cracking on it soon enough and get the first chapter finished and posted. **

**Also in the next chapter I may shed a little bit more light on the foreshadowing from this chapter. One thing's for sure, when I reveal all, it'll be a blast and it's going to come from way out of right field. **

**One last thing before the Knightewolfe signs off for now, I'm looking for three motorcycle-themed nicknames for Dominic, Justin, and Sean for the other story. If anyone can come up with three good ones, you'll get a sneak peek at what I have for that story now even though the first chapter is nowhere near finished. Hell it hasn't even reached the middle yet, but I'll still give you a sneak peek and will wait for your replies. **

**As always all mistakes are mine and mine alone. All criticisms whether constructive or destructive will be accepted in the spirit they were meant. All flames will be tossed in my ever infamous 'File 13'.**

**Keep on reading, writing, and reviewing. Knightewolfe is pulling that ghost thang and vanishing for a bit. But I shall return with another installment of 'Agents and Operatives'. Thank you for reading. **

**Sincerely Yours: Knightewolfe**

_**Knightewolfe's Lair**_

_**18 March 2007**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Totally Spies**_

_**Agents and Operatives**_

_**Chapter Three**_

It had been a hard three weeks for Dominic, Sean, and Justin. Seductresses' 'special' brand of training on the island had come at the absolute wrong time. Teresa had been extremely demanding as the hickeys on the boys' necks attested to, much to the ire of Alex and her friends. To cover up the damning evidence, D.C. and his partners had taken to wearing turtleneck sweaters or shirts to hide the marks. They got away with it for three days the first week until Alex and Dominic had been caught by campus security doing a little bit more in the library than just studying for a test. The couple had been in the midst of some heavy making out in the back of the library after a class and Dominic had inadvertently tugged on the neck of his shirt to allow some of his body heat to dissipate. It had taken all of three seconds for Alex to spot a hickey, realize it wasn't one of the many she'd already put there, and raise most holy hell. Her swearing and hasty fastening of her blouse (that had 'somehow' magically come undone) disrupted the other studying students. Security responded to the call and shortly afterwards Alex and Dominic were standing in front of the health counselor explaining their actions (or lack of actions thereof).

The chill between the two lasted for five days, much to the amazement of the rest of the student body.

The second week of their training, their wily instructor had slipped some of her intimate apparel into Justin's duffle bag because he failed one of her 'exams'. Sam had found the article in his bag one afternoon the six of them were eating lunch at school. Now being slicker than Clover and Alex combined, Sam asked J.T. to stop by the office of the school newspaper (where she was the student editor) later. Of course J.T. readily agreed and appeared at the right time. Unfortunately as they were trying to resolve their differences about the unknown pair of panties, campus security arrived after receiving a report from students walking past and caught the student editor of the school newspaper (and perpetual honoree on the principals honor roll)) and her athlete boyfriend in their skivvies in the school newspaper editors' office. Said student editor had said boyfriend in an increasingly passionate liplock. However, the male half of the couple had his hands restrained with what security deemed were a pair of the editor's unmentionables. That incident had led to a threatened suspension if they were ever caught again in such a compromising position.

Justin and Sam didn't speak for the remainder of that week, much to the amusement of Alex and Dominic.

The third and final week of training led to what the faculty had privately started referring to as the 'three weeks of frustrated hormones'. On Monday, everybody's favorite blonde cheerleader and her quarterback boyfriend got in trouble for ditching class. That wouldn't have caused much of a ripple if the two perpetrators hadn't been found getting ready to use office furniture to a highly immoral (and illegal) use. A lecture and the two were let off with a warning. Two days later, the perps were caught again. This time, they'd been trailed by campus security after class and ended up apprehended as they scrambled to slip out of their clothes in the band's instrument closet during an open period. Again allowed to get away with just a slap on the wrist, the pair seemed honestly willing to change their ways (or at least wait till they got home to quench their ardor). Unfortunately, the next day ruined that image. At the early morning break, a courier was seen delivering a single rose and a card to one Sean Matthew Lyons. Recognizing the handwriting, Mr. Lyons conversed with his two roommates, Mr. Justin Timothy Bolan and Mr. Dominic Calvin James, about what to do with the items. Before anything could be decided, Mr. Lyons girlfriend and the head cheerleader arrived with her two friends and after kissing Mr. Lyons in greeting, managed to snatch the card from his hand. One quick look was all it took. The cheerleader in question grabbed her boyfriend by the hand and roughly dragged him to a convenient closet in a bid to try and straighten him out. Unfortunately, the closet in question didn't have a lock on the inside and campus security was able to open the door without much effort. Inside the closet, security found the couple in a severe state of undress and dragged the couple to the office to face the principal. Frustrated by the lack of tack in his students, the principal talked to the football and cheerleading coaches and advisors. Mr. Lyons was benched for the next two football games while Clover was suspended from practicing with the cheerleading squad for the same two weeks. Much cursing by all three parties was evident as the penalties were given.

Curiously, according to the rest of the student body, Clover's main rival did not try to capitalize on the free popularity. For some odd reason Mandy kept a low profile during the entire three weeks.

D.C. James cursed to himself as his mind continued to focus on the events of the previous three weeks instead of on the math test he was supposed to be finishing within the next few minutes before his Algebra II class ended. Since Dominic hated math with a zealous passion, this test was fairly hard for him. It didn't help that each time he got ready to scratch at his neck; he could feel the heat from his girlfriend's glare who sat directly behind him and one row over.

_**"Dammit Seductress, did you have to leave me marked up that badly?! Or were you just asserting your dominance after seeing Alex and I at the restaurant that night. Jeez, you were insatiable and your exams were harder than we'd ever faced before. Yeah I know we're going after the man who executed your boyfriend in front of you and put out your left eye, but shit woman, why'd you have to be so dammed aggressive in your tactics this time?", **__Dominic fumed mentally as he struggled to finish the his test._

Behind her boyfriend, Alex (who was much better in math than Dominic) scowled as she observed another of his aborted attempts to scratch his neck. She'd already finished and turned in her exam and was now trying to get some reading in with the help of the new romance novel she'd bought at the bookstore the other day. Over on the far side of the classroom, the dark haired teen could see Clover and Sam quietly gazing out the window as they waited for their classmates to finish their exams. Alex and her friends had raided the bookstore in preparation for their trip to WOOHP's private island for special training. They didn't know much about their training nor did they know what kind of training they were about to receive. All they knew was that Jerry's orders, relayed through Natasha of the DILJO Division were that they were to be at a designated location by a certain time this afternoon to catch a flight that would take them to their destination. The three girls had discussed it the night before and had come to the conclusion that they weren't going to tell their boyfriends about their trip since midterm exams were rapidly approaching and with all their recent problems, the boys wouldn't have enough time to study.

Since the trio's recent troubles had been due to some amorous misunderstandings, Alex and her friends had come to a consensus on how extra-special they were going to treat their guys before they left. Alex blushed at the memories of the conversation as Clover and Sam had gotten a bit too specific in their intentions before they'd finished the conversation and headed off to their respective bedrooms.

_**"Clover, why'd ya have to bring that topic up like that? I know that you and Sam aren't as innocent as I am but fer cryin' out loud, couldn't you have at least waited till after I'd already gone to bed and left you and Sam to talk?", **__ thought Alex as she tried to focus her attention back to her book. _

The book wasn't helping her dispel her worries with its lurid (and very thorough) descriptions of sexual acts between the main characters. Huffing in exasperation, Alex emphatically closed her book and consigned herself to either gazing out the window or watching D.C. suffer through his test. She knew he had problems with math and last night before the late night female convocation, Alex had tutored him in the kitchen of the villa while their four friends studied other subjects. Splitting her attention between the two, Alex waited for the bell to ring.

Just seconds before the bell rang ending class, Dominic wearily finished his test and got up to turn it end. He realized that the rest of the class had already finished their tests and were marking time waiting for the bell to wring. Approaching the math teacher, Dominic felt a groan start to form in his throat. His math teacher was looking at him over the edge of her classes with an expression that bordered on amusement and sternness. D.C. placed his test face down on the teacher's desk and prepared to return to his desk when the teacher spoke.

"Mr. James, of course you realize that I expect better from you, right? Even with the so-called 'events' of the last few weeks, you did have more than enough time to prepare for this exam. So why are you the last student in my class to turn in your test? You've never been the last one to do so before. Usually, you turn your exams in with the majority of the class midway or so through the period. What happened this time?", asked the teacher in a voice that asked for clarification on the topic while leaving the subject private if her student wanted it dropped.

"I don't know ma'am. I guess that my mind wasn't completely on my work this time.", replied D.C. as he made his way towards his desk with a shrug of his shoulders.

_**"That's the understatement of the millennium.", **__ran the identical thought in both D.C.'s and the teacher's mind._

The teacher was about to continue the discussion when the bell rang and the rest of the class streamed out into the hallways for the mid-morning break. She gathered the tests up and made sure they were all there as she observed Dominic and Alex leave her classroom hand in hand. Like the majority of the teachers at Beverly High School, she agreed that the tall imposing J.R.O.T.C. cadet and the school's star female soccer player made a great couple. His semi-aloofness that fell whenever he was around Alex combined with the cracking of the semi-protective shell Alex sometimes exuded when he wasn't nearby.

"To me it seems that sometimes they can feel each other's mental states without being in close proximity to each other. ", the teacher quietly confided to her now empty classroom.

Outside the classroom, Dominic and Alex headed for their lockers knowing that the rest of the gang was already going to be there. Relaxing more the distance he put between his test and himself, Dominic found himself concentrating on Alex's every word and gesture. Every so often the sunlight glinted off the necklace around her necklace as it hung between the soft valleys he'd so wanted to bury is face in the night he'd given her the gift. He knew that it would be the wrong thing to do with all the trouble they'd been getting in lately as well as the fact that he was presently wearing his J.R.O.T.C. uniform. His cadets would get the wrong impression of their stern company commander.

In contrast to the white shirt and black pants of Dominic's uniform, Alex wore a vibrant red t-shirt underneath an unbuttoned near transparent blue blouse over form fitting grey jeans and matching tennis shoes. Alex also wore a headband that matched her blouse and had on minimal cosmetics sans lipstick. Last time on uniform day, the couple had found out that her pink lipstick and his white uniform shirt were a really bad mix before his R.O.T.C. class. Presently, Alex was maintaining a light grasp of his hand and wishing he wasn't in uniform so he could take her under his arms the way she preferred when they walked together. Alex knew that if they did that now, his uniform would get wrinkled and he wouldn't be able to pull off his trademark stern inspector persona with his cadets as he inspected them if his uniform was mussed.

They arrived at the lockers seconds behind Justin and Sam. Like Dominic, Justin was attired in his J.R.O.T.C. uniform. Unlike his friend, Justin had already had his class and his inspections were over so Sam didn't worry too much if she mussed his shirt up just a bit. Sam was wearing another of her tennis skirts (this one white) with a yellow tank top and low heeled casual shoes. Like Alex, Sam had her necklace hanging from her neck to rest just above her breasts. Also like her jeans clad friend, Sam wore minimal make up and no lipstick. Unlike Alex and Dominic, Sam and Justin had been lucky enough to not get any of Sam's favorite light red lipstick on Justin's white uniform shirt. Greetings were passed around between the friends as they opened lockers and put books away to be replaced by other books for their next classes. With football season rapidly approaching its terminus, D.C. asked Justin if he'd started prepping for basketball tryouts.

"Yeah, for the past couple of weeks when I wasn't in the doghouse, I've been working on my stamina and doing long slow distance runs in my spare time. How about you since soccer season starts around the same time.", answered J.T.

"A little bit of this, little bit of that. Been doing a lot of wind sprints to build up my speed, and been playing in a few pick up games to hone my skills. Man some of those guys I play against are college level caliber and above. I'm just barely holding my own against them and several have complimented me on my endurance.", answered D.C. as he placed his algebra book in the locker and pulled out his French textbook.

Alex and Sam were having their own conversation a few lockers away as they idled their time and waited for their missing friend to appear. It didn't take long and their blonde friend came strolling down the hallway. Curiously, Clover wasn't attached at the hip (or the lip) with Sean and that peaked their interest. Alex asked the question as Clover opened her locker.

"Sean, oh he's meeting with the football coach about his not playing this weeks' game against his old high school. He'll be here shortly.", answered Clover as she placed her Algebra book in her locker.

At the end of algebra class, Clover, like Sam, had immediately left to go in search of her boyfriend. Sam went to the J.R.O.T.C. building because Justin would be finishing his class while Clover headed for the Computer Lab where Sean's English class was working on their midterm research papers. Sean had been in a good mood, the boys and girls of his platoon had aced their inspection by their company commander and he was flying high.

"Why doesn't he want to play in that game?", asked Sam.

"I guess that he feels that he let his old team down with his transfer up here and playing on our team. Sean feels that there may be some bad blood between his old teammates and his new ones. He doesn't want to be the cause of a team fight. We talked about it earlier and he told me that Justin and Dominic feel the same as he does about their respective sports. I don't know what they're going to do during baseball season though.", finished Clover as she closed her locker.

Around the corner from the girls, Sean had finally made it to his locker and was conversing with his friends. He was teasing Dominic about how well his platoon had scored for their inspection.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep it up smartass, ya know that my company is the best there is. We haven't failed an inspection yet and you know how hard an inspector I am!", commented D.C. dryly but with a smile on his face.

The three guys laughed uproariously as they closed their lockers and headed around the corner to meet the girls. As they came around the corner; Dominic and his friends wondered how they could fall in love with the three girls, no, three women standing in front of their respective lockers.

Short, feisty, and mercurial Clover with totally laid back and cool Sean; willowy, buxom, and intelligent Sam with level headed and energetic Justin; and athletic and slender Alex with the tall and intense Dominic. These stormy and unorganized thoughts crossed the guys' otherwise orderly minds no less than six times a day.

As the three couples reunited with hugs and kisses galore (much to the amusement of the student body who happened to pass around the six people) Alex gazed semi-jealously at how Clover and Sam were able to embrace their boyfriends while she could only hold hands with hers. She knew that Dominic wanted to lead his cadets by his example but there were times when his perfection was a pain in her ass.

_**"Ohh for the love of….this is so dammed unbearable! I just wanna be able to have him hold me close today. After school I won't see D.C. until tomorrow morning. I know Clover and Sam feel the same way but at least they can cuddle with their men. I can't cuddle with mine for three more class periods just because he doesn't want to wrinkle his dammed uniform!", **__fumed Alex as she held hands with D.C.._

Dominic felt the tension in Alex as it traveled throughout her body and wondered what he'd done now. Seeing where her gaze was focused, he sighed at the possibility of another strong-willed battle on this subject. Dominic considered his uniform to be sacrosanct until after his .R.O.T.C. class and preferred to not have it wrinkled until he got through his inspection. He knew that it rankled Alex to no end but he wasn't about to compromise on that one subject. Dominic remembered how many cadets he'd written up just for having a couple of usage wrinkles on their uniform shirts and shook his head. He knew he had garnered a reputation as a harsh (but fair) inspector when it came to uniform day.

Today, however, some small voice at the back of his mind was telling him to just say 'screw-it' and go with the flow of his emotions. Dominic tried to fight it but the more he fought the impulse the stronger it grew. In the end, he couldn't overcome his body's want (or is that need) for Alex's closeness at this particular moment. Before D.C. knew it, he'd swung Alex around to face him and easily picked her up by her hips. Dominic exulted in the small chirrup of surprise Alex issued before he silenced her cries with a kiss that took away her protests.

Alex didn't know what was presently going on; one moment she was fuming about how she couldn't cuddle with Dominic just before his class like Sam and Clover were doing with their boyfriends (who were also J.R.O.T.C. cadet officers like Dominic), the next she was being spun around and hoisted a foot into the air by D.C. and found herself getting an up close and personal glance at the highly shined three gold bars of his N.J.R.O.T.C. rank on his collars. Alex started to protest but found her protests smothered by his lips as they met hers.

She'd forgotten to close her mouth when D.C. silenced her protests and left her mouth open to an invasion of his tongue as it relentlessly sought hers out in a dance that was ancient long before they'd been born. Letting herself get lost in the melding, Alex savored the taste of his lips as he tasted hers. Unconsciously, her legs had started to wrap around his when a small (and familiar sounding) cough echoed discreetly through the hallway.

"Would you two mind getting a room or do you not care that everyone can see what you're about to do. I thought that with all the trouble the six of you have gotten into over the past three weeks, especially you Alex, you'd have cooled your wanton desires down for now.", came the familiar voice followed by its equally familiar (and unnerving) laugh.

Alex gasped as her eyes shot open and she pulled back from Dominic. Forgetting that she was about a foot in the air, her jerk almost caused D.C. to drop her but his last minute position shift saved them all from an even more embarrassing scene. Alex had D.C. set her down before she turned to face Mandy. It was lucky (for Sam that is) that Dominic had very quick reflexes, Alex saw that if her boyfriend had dropped her, she would have collided with Sam and knocked her down. Now since she was wearing jeans, Alex didn't worry about falling. However, Sam was wearing one of her pleated tennis skirts and being inadvertently knocked on her rear by Alex would have been an eye opener for everyone in the hallway.

Mandy had snuck up on the group with her two minions and was now leaning against the bank of lockers. The ever fashionable black haired teenage popularity queen had on a green leather mini-skirt and a pink button-up blouse with sheer sleeves. As was her wont, Mandy had the top two buttons undone to give her many male admirers a tantalizing glimpse of the creamy tops of her 28B cup breasts (Clover, as a fellow cheerleader, had once snuck a look at one of Mandy's bras' while the cheerleaders were showering and changing clothes after a summer practice last year and had told all to Sam and Alex once she'd made it home that night). Standing behind Alex and using his height as the tallest of the nine people in close proximity, D.C. looked over everyone's head and saw Thomas Kurtzmann descending the stairs a few feet away and called out.

"Yo, Tommy can ya c'mere for a moment? I have some questions about our French homework I think you can help me with."

"Yeah sure, Whatcha need help with.", answered Tommy as he strolled up.

With interested gazes, Clover and Alex watched as the star of the baseball team passed the campus queen with nary a backward glance. The two girls could see no reaction from Mandy either, much to their dismay. For the guys it was different. Since they were trained to be assassins and to be a bit more observant than the girls, Sean, Dominic, and Justin noticed that slight sideward glances Mandy and Tommy had cast each other as he passed by and stood next to D.C. Sam didn't catch the interplay and hadn't been told anyway so her expression of confusion helped the overall situation.

The bell signaling the end of the mid-morning break rang and students dashed off towards their classes. Mandy grumped as she was again ignored and stormed off towards her economics class with the heels of her green shoes beating an angry tattoo on the tile floor. Sean and Clover moved off towards their respective Science and English classes, Sam headed towards the office of the school newspaper (she had a free period and found that studying in the editors' office was conducive to learning, among other things), while Justin strode towards his P.E. class. That left Dominic, Tommy, and Alex in the hallway. And with Tommy and D.C. having the same French class Alex felt a bit left out.

Alex had a health class to attend that she really wanted to ditch. Since she and D.C. had gotten caught in the library preparing to study human anatomy, the health teacher (who was also the counselor her and her boyfriend had come in front of) always managed to belittle Alex in some way about the incident and frankly, it was starting to get on her nerves and piss her off. Hearing her name, Alex brought herself back to the present. Seeing that it was just her and D.C. standing in the hallway outside of his class, she grumbled. Now she had about two minutes to cross campus and make it to class on time before her teacher marked her as absent. Alex didn't want to imagine the comments the uptight bitch would make when Alex entered the classroom late.

"Alex, you're gonna be late for class if you don't hurry.", commented D.C. as he stopped just outside the door of his class.

"Yeah, I know but I really don't want to go to that health class today. All the teacher is going to do is come up with new and exciting ways to denigrate me as she goes about her lesson. Jeez I hate that class, I wish I could transfer to another class altogether.", grumbled Alex.

D.C. knew the reason why she was miffed and didn't blame Alex for her loathing of that particular class. Alex's health class instructor was his school counselor. Sighing in concert with Alex, he gave her hand the familiar knuckle rub that had become something of their private confirmation of their love for each other. Before she could return it, Tommy handed Alex a signed hall pass. He'd entered the classroom before Dominic and stood in front of them long enough to semi-conceal them from the rest of the class. They'd gone through enough for their relationship and he didn't want anyone else bringing them more drama.

"Alex, take this pass and go join Sam in the newspaper room. She'll cover for you if anyone asks questions.", commented Tommy out of the side of his mouth.

"Tommy, how did you get this pass? You know how hard these are to get.", gasped Alex as she tentatively accepted the slip of paper.

"I have a…..friend who gets them from the office.", stammered Tommy, unwilling to spill more than that.

Guessing who his friend was and knowing it wouldn't be wise to bring it up now. Alex gave Tommy a hug and kissed D.C. on the cheek before dashing off towards her new destination. Admiring her form and lithe figure as she ran, Dominic asked his classmate a question.

"Tommy, does your friend like taking walks at a certain park by the ocean?"

The pitcher froze and started to deny the allegation when D.C. slapped him on the back and pushed him inside the classroom.

"Tommy, I think you, me, and my two partners need to have a nice chat somewhere. How does this evening at Hooters sound? Unless your...friend doesn't approve."

"Uhh, umm. My friend most definitely wouldn't approve but I think it might be doable.", answered Tommy nervously as he dropped into his assigned seat.

"Good, we'll meet you there after Sean finishes practice."

Dominic watched as his fellow pitcher gulped air nervously and agreed to the meet. Putting that out of his mind, D.C. concentrated on class as his French professor began his lecture.

Over on the WOOHP's private training island, Countess Teresa de Aquitaine was in the midst of a vid-conference with her nominal superior, Natasha Simonov of WOOHP's 'Dirty Little Jobs' Division.

And she was pissed.

"Dammit Natasha, you sent me the files on Ice Dancer without their mandatory attached photos! I need those pictures in order to effectively come up with a training regimen for them. DO you fucking understand how bloody hard it'll be for me to do that without the pictures? Shit, you're giving me an impossible job. You want me to train Ice Dancer AND teach them every gawddammed thing I know about the Tortoise. Fuck!", cursed Teresa as she threw herself into her chair.

Natasha wasn't moved by Seductress' outburst. After years of dealing with Seductress since she came out of the field due to injuries sustained in the fight with Tortoise and his organization, Simonov was immune to it. Calmly sipping from a cup of coffee, she let the assassin trainer vent her rage. Simonov knew that no matter how much she ranted and raved about this little setback, Teresa would ultimately train the girls' right. She'd already done a real great job with Foxfire during their remedial training and gotten them up to speed on their targets personality.

Natasha placed her coffee mug on her desk as the tank top, combat booted, and fatigue pants attired trainer jumped out of her chair and stalked her office like a wild animal. The weight of her shoulder-holstered 10mm Desert Eagle pistol wasn't phasing the woman one bit. When Teresa returned to her seat, Natasha saw Teresa's rage had caused her empty left eye socket to leak a few red-tinged drops.

"Tess, calm down, your eye sockets' starting to leak.", cautioned Natasha.

On her screen Natasha watched as Teresa swore then reached up and touched the place where her left eye had been and cursed a bit more before rummaging around in her desk for a handkerchief to dab away the droplets of blood that slid down her face. Holding the square of cloth up to her permanently sealed eye socket, Teresa turned back to the screen and sat down.

"Tasha, if you're going to do this to me, I need to call in the rest of Belladonna to help me with this insurmountable task you've assigned me. That is the only way I'll get Anemone, Antigone, and Aphrodite trained up to the demanding standards going after the Tortoise will require. You know how hard that's going to be.", stated a calmer Teresa.

"I'll see what I can do to get you the contact numbers for Siren and Temptress. It's going to be hard. One last thing, I've authorized designation status: Freelancer for this mission.", replied Natasha.

Countess Teresa de Aquitaine slowly leaned back in her chair in shock at the words spoken by her boss. Authorizing that particular status meant that her boss had just invoked a very rarely used condition specific to the assassination arm of WOOHP, it allowed the organization to legally raid the files of their sister agency Global Justice.

"Are you sure that Foxfire and Ice Dancer can perform under that condition?", asked Teresa as she slowly ran a shaking hand over her face.

"Foxfire already knows about the status change. They'll be ready to do whatever is necessary to end this threat once and for all.", Natasha shot back.

"Foxfire is a bunch of teenagers, Natasha! With their whole lives ahead of them, authorizing 'Freelancer' status will ruin it. Shit in the entire time I've been with WOOHP, only one team successfully completed a 'Freelancer' status mission. And that was Snowcat. We all know what happened to them afterwards. Some of us more than most.", choked out Teresa.

Natasha looked pointedly at Teresa with an expressionless stare.

"You have your orders Agent Seductress. Now carry them out!", snapped Natasha before coldly cutting the connection.

"_Heartless Bitch_!", grumbled Teresa at her superior's last words.

Teresa gave the monitor a pained expression as it went dark. In her heart she knew that what her boss had authorized was wrong. And sending a spy team on an assassination mission was a lethal accident waiting to happen. The only good thing that could come about this assignment was the fact that the guys of Foxfire were veteran assassins, had gone through numerous firefights, and kept the body count of innocents non-existent. Now with them being joined by Ice Dancer, it looked as if this mission may turn into a suicide run.

Wearily getting up from her seat, Teresa acknowledged the report from her secretary that the Catalina carrying the new crop of trainees was inbound. The majority were headed for the R and R facility on the north side of the island where WOOHP ran a profitable mini-resort. On the books, the resort was owned by Teresa under her Countess de Aquitaine persona. It was operated by a joint G.J./WOOHP team of retired agents who knew how to handle such things. Teresa knew that her two former teammates, Isis Tabitha Arsenault and Carmine Jeanette de Gyrfalcon (neither of whom were titled like herself) had recovered from their injuries: both mental and psychological, to rebound and live almost normal lives. According to an invitation sitting on her desk, Isis was even about to get married to a man who loved her regardless of her disability.

For a moment, Teresa thought about the injuries each had sustained in their battle with Tortoise. Teresa herself had lost an eye and had received shrapnel scratches that marked up her once pretty face. Isis had had her left leg amputated below the knee when one of Tortoises' bodyguards had sawed it away with a steady stream of 7.62 caliber bullets as she tried to drag Teresa away from the spot where her lover, Snowcat leader, had been brutally executed right in front of her eyes. Carmine had the worst injuries of the three, not because they were visible but because they were also psychological. Carmine, in addition to losing her right hand, had been raped by Tortoise and his elite bodyguards when she'd gotten separated from her teammates. Teresa and Isis had ruthlessly and emotionlessly killed a few of Carmine's attackers while their boss and his remaining guards vanished.

Closing out the pain from that past, Teresa walked over to her office window and watched as a gaily painted amphibian aircraft landed in the cove near the resort and taxied up the seaplane ramp to disgorge its load of passengers for the resort. Crossing her arms, the WOOHP assassination agent known as the Seductress wondered what her boss was thinking at that exact moment.

For her part, Natasha Michelle Simonov was thinking about how the woman she'd just finished talking to looked as her and her teammates were recovered along with the bodies of the Snowcat team. The young twenty-three year old beauty in shock over the loss of her beloved and complaining that she couldn't see out of her left eye, not knowing that her eye had been removed (the jade green orb had been recovered but WOOHP trauma doctors had said that it would be useless to try and reconnect it to its optic nerve). Natasha also thought about the dark skinned recently turned twenty-three year old beauty nicknamed Siren, loosing her leg while saving Seductress. Like Teresa, Natasha also had an engraved invitation to Isis' wedding.

Remembering about Isis also made Natasha remember the twenty-four year old vibrant and carefree Temptress; deadly with a knife and quick to start a fight with anyone who insulted her or her friends. As the supervisor of the recovery team, it was Natasha who'd discovered Carmine lying next to her seriously wounded friends and cradling the stump where her right hand used to be. Sweet, sweet Carmine whose torture was so bad that she lashed out at the men of the recovery team with her Fairborn-Sykes commando dagger as they moved in to help. Temptress had taken one look at her rescuers and refused to go with them. It had taken a special team of female recovery agents to calm her down enough for rescue. It was only hours later when Siren and Seductress had regained consciousness and heard about their teammates' reaction that Natasha learned the true horror that Temptress had been through. Those two had explained what had transpired but midway through the explanation, Natasha had immediately ordered only female medical personnel to assist Temptress in her recovery.

As the memories came back from that horrible night, Natasha cried into the darkness of her office. The pain still lingered and it was triply worse for her than it was for Belladonna. Natasha had been the one to find the trio and recruit them for WOOHP. Natasha had also been the one who sent them on the mission where things had first gone wrong. And it was Natasha who'd bore the brunt of the recovery and the months and years of rehabilitation for the trio that followed.

Closing her eyes, Natasha prayed that working alongside Foxfire, Ice Dancer wouldn't have to suffer the same fate.

As Teresa and Natasha remembered about the past, the girls of Ice Dancer were being transported to their training destination via one of the most gaudily painted Catalina seaplanes they had ever seen. Situated near the front of the plane and by the entryway the three teenagers were giddy with excitement tempered by the realization that they would be spending a week being only able to see their boyfriends at school. It hadn't boded well when Jerry told them that stipulation and they had pouted for several minutes upon hearing that and had ignored how Jerry had found out about their boyfriends in the first place.

"This sucks much balls!", cursed Clover, not realizing her verbal faux pass.

"Yeah I know, we're basically heading for a WOOHP run island mini-resort and we can't bring our boyfriends. All the memories Justin and I could make here.", agreed Sam as she gazed out her window at the crystal clear blue water underneath the aircraft as it taxied up to the private dock for special arrivals.

Alex just sighed in resignation. She agreed with her friends but their complaining was beginning to get on her nerves. A few hours earlier, the three girls had boarded the seaplane an hour after leaving school at the end of Clover's cheerleading practice. They had packed their bags the night before and placed the suitcases in the trunk of the car and gone to bed with thoughts of the special training they were headed for and wondered if it was a continuation of their training with Foxfire for this special mission they had been assigned. Natasha had told them the bare basics and informed them that a complete briefing awaited them on the island from their head instructor.

Resting her eyes and leaning back in her seat, Alex waited for the movement of the seaplane to stop as the pier side linesmen secured the aircraft to the cleats provided. The high school soccer star felt the motion of their conveyance change and figured that the water in the cove was getting rough and it was making her slightly nauseous. Strengthening her willpower so she wouldn't puke and give their instructor a bad impression of her right off the bat, Alex gritted her teeth and vowed not to screw up.

"Alex, come on! Everyone else has gotten off the plane. We're the last ones aboard and you're holding us up!", yelled Clover from the door.

Alex opened her eyes and saw that her friends had already retrieved their carry on bags and were now mounting the stairs to debark the classic aircraft through one of its former observation blisters. Undoing her seat restraint and standing up took a bit of doing since she had to adjust to the motion of the craft as it bobbed in the swells but Alex hurriedly got the hang of it and opened up the overhead baggage compartment and pulled out her carryon, a large duffle bag in Bev High colors and emblazoned with the school crest, and situated it on her shoulder. Making her way to the exit, Alex declined the help from the fairly attractive sunglasses wearing male flight attendant, ascended the short flight of steps, and timed the rise and fall of the seaplane as it floated next to the dock before stepping out of the plane as it descended past the level of the pier. Once outside and in the waning glow of the late afternoon sun, Alex glanced around their destination with her onyx eyes and took in her surroundings.

Standing next to the plane and attired in a brilliant white short set was another male whose dark tan was emphasized by his ice cream white uniform. Shaking her head, Alex wondered if Clover had already started her drooling. Alex couldn't blame her blonde friend if she was; the guy was attractive in a way. But deep down, Alex felt that she would be betraying Dominic if she even thought about getting closer to this bronzed island Adonis.

"Miss Anemone, your luggage will be brought to your suite of rooms. Please follow your companions where you will be met by your hostess Do you need any other assistance?", the linesman said in a surprisingly friendly baritone.

"Thank you very much, and no I don't think I'll need any other assistance this evening.", replied Alex as she made her way off the pier and onto the concrete jetty where Sam and Clover waited.

Once again together, the trio of spies followed the quaint pathway away from the amphibian aircraft port towards a small one story chateau like building. As the last of the passengers to arrive, the trio caught the end of a welcome speech from the attractive female guide standing in front of the building. Attired in the same uniform as the two men they had seen as they got off the seaplane, the voluptuous micro-skirted brunette had already caught the eyes of several men from the girls' flight. The trio snickered quietly as they watched the men try their luck at hitting on the woman whose smile seemed natural as she politely refused the requests for her companionship.

"Cheap, no style pick-up artists.", commented Sam with a snort as she turned away from the pitiful sight.

"Yeah, I agree. Those guys have no class whatsoever.", agreed Clover as the waning sunlight flashed as it caught the white gold necklace and it's citrine pendant hanging from the blonde teenagers neck and nestling in the valley provided by her 30B cup breasts.

Alex could only nod in agreement. Waiting for the group ahead of them to finish listening to the questions about the resort that the guide actually answered, the three spies gazed around and took in their surroundings. It only took a few second before Sam realized one thing about the resort employees. Taking a few seconds to verify her findings, the redhead turned to her friends and asked them if they'd noticed the same thing she had.

"Hey girls, have you noticed that all of the men and women who work here are extremely attractive? I mean, it's like the employees ooze their sexuality.", stated Sam.

"Come to think of it, your right, Sam. I've noticed the same thing. I also noticed that their not overtly flaunting their attractiveness but it's as if they don't even realize what kind of effect they are having on the guests.", added Clover.

Alex had noticed the same thing as well as something a bit more and was about to comment on it when the guide (now free from the gaggle of guests and their attention) called out to them.

"Miss Anemone. Miss Antigone, Miss Aphrodite, if you will please follow me. The three of you have been assigned special quarters here on the island. Your employer has specified that your lodgings be in the main house and not in the resort proper. I do hope you consider this to be a special reward. Your ride towards the main house will be here shortly. Do you have any questions?", asked the guide in her honeyed, dulcet tones.

Taking the lead as usual, Sam replied that their questions could wait until they arrived at their lodgings. Before she could wave her friends close so they could converse without the woman eavesdropping, Alex asked their guide a question.

"Pardon me miss, we know that our organization owns the entire island but we don't know who runs it for them.", questioned Alex.

Clover and Sam looked askance at their friend but Alex ignored it. Something in her gut was telling her that whoever managed the island was known to her. The guide didn't hesitate when she started to speak and responded to the question.

"Miss Anemone, even though our organization owns the island, it is legitimately ran as a subsidiary of de Aquitaine Properties. Of course you realize that de Aquitaine Properties is wholly owned by Countess Teresa de Aquitaine. The countess occasionally vacations here when she's not running her several businesses. I believe that Countess de Aquitaine is presently off island taking care of some other business but she's supposedly due in within the coming few days. Contrary to your beliefs, Countess de Aquitaine is not a member of WOOHP. In fact she's never heard of our organization.", answered the guide.

Alex narrowed her eyes as she remembered the name of the woman who'd nearly interrupted her date with Dominic three weeks ago. Sam and Clover saw the narrowing of Alex' eyes but Sam was the only one to notice that the eyes of the guide had gone glacially cold for a second before returning to their bright and bubbly expression. A few seconds after that, a sleek customized luxury golf cart pulled up and stopped next to the quartet and the guide ushered the trio into the vehicle before finishing up her welcome and turning in the direction of the building she'd came out of. Alex looked at their chauffer and noticed that with his white uniform in contrast to his dark skin and saw that he was another of the employees who looked as if he could be a model. Shifting her head and facing her friends, Alex started to continue the conversation they'd been having before the guide had showed up. A shaken head from Sam told Alex that her comments could wait till they were alone. Nodding once in acknowledgement, Alex leaned back in her seat and watched the beautiful landscape as they were driven past at a slow respectable speed. Soon Alex lost herself in the spectacular view and started to relax.

About ten minutes later the golf cart started to slow down and the girls shook themselves out of the light dozes they'd been lulled into by the steady motion of the cart, the fabulous scenery, and the wonderful scents of the many varieties of plants alongside the pathway. The three spies glanced around to check their surroundings but their looks were cut short when they got their first view of the main house.

"House does not do that thing justice.", spoke Sam in awe.

"You said it girl! If that's a house then our villa is a shack.", added Alex.

Clover could only nod in agreement. The main house was a big four story castle-like mansion that, to their eyes, dwarfed their three story villa. Clover could see that it even dwarfed Mandy's family mansion by a long shot. In front of the building was a driveway that would engulf the girl's entire property and still have room left over to swallow a respectable piece of the lot their boyfriends lived on.

"Wow!", murmured Clover.

Their driver heard the excitement in their voices in grinned. It never ceased to amaze him that whenever he arrived at Seductress' quarters with new trainees, how they reacted upon first seeing the grand building. The only ones in his experience that hadn't been impressed were those guys from Foxfire. But then again, he knew that Foxfire had been trained by Snowcat and nothing had fazed the three members of Snowcat.

"I guess the attitude Snowcat had for the grandiose rubbed off on Foxfire.", he muttered to himself as he made the turn that would bring his vehicle up to the covered portico at the entryway.

As he slowed down to hit his stopping spot perfectly, the driver looked up to see who would be meeting the cart and his passengers. The person on the curb looked hazy at first then he recognized the large pistol in the shoulder holster and knew exactly who it was that was meeting the new team. That the Seductress herself had decided to meet the nuggets was nothing short of a major surprise and he nearly missed his spot. But years of bringing others here had engrained within him the exact parking space and in any weather and any condition he could hit his spot unerringly even with the shock of seeing the legendary trainer up close.

Alex, Clover, and Sam brought their attention back to their immediate surroundings as the golf cart came to a stop and they started to disembark. The voice of their driver halted their movements.

"Ladies, I don't know who you three are or what you three did, but you have the Seductress herself waiting for you. In all the years I've worked here, I have never seen the Seductress even deign to come out and meet those I bring. You ladies have just received a singular great honor. Only one other team has had the honor of Seductress meeting them when they arrive for training. And that was back when I was just starting my position here seven years ago.", said the driver in a voice that was full of awe and a hint of fear.

"And what team was that if I may ask?", questioned Sam.

The driver whipped around so fast it scared Sam for a second while he gazed at her with a wild look in his eyes.

"Lady, that team is the legendary Foxfire Team, the team trained and named by the even more legendary Snowcat Team. There are some in WOOHP who say that Foxfire is on par to eclipse the record set by the boss himself: J-dawg the founder of WOOHP.", came the whispered answer from the driver as he climbed out and went to the back of the cart to retrieve their carry on luggage.

Sam and Alex watched the man as he made his way to the back of the cart before climbing out of the vehicle. The two turned to help Clover out but saw a familiar look in their friends' eyes. Clover was salivating heavily. When they asked her about it, all the blonde could do was point in the direction of their welcoming committee. Sam and Alex rotated to face the woman waiting for them and stopped. The woman known as the Seductress had a pair of attendants with her. What caught their eyes weren't the attendants themselves but what the attendants were wearing.

Seductress' attendants were another pair of beefcakes. However they were attired in matching loincloths and nothing else. The eyes of the three spies bugged out as they made out the patterns of sweat dripping down the hairless chests of the two examples of perfect masculinity. Alex was the first to recover as an image of Dominic crossed her mind.

"Sam, Clover snap out of it girls, snap outta it. I know those guys are so smokin' hot it's unbelievable but we need to think about our boyfriends. Think about Justin and Sean. You don't want to betray them after all the trouble we've had getting those guys.", Alex pleaded.

Just like that, both the blonde and the red haired snapped out of their trance.

"Thanks Alex, we need that reminder. I can't believe that we zoned out but damn, can you blame us. Just look at those guys.", commented Clover as Sam nodded her own thanks.

On the stairs at the entrance of the building, Teresa looked approvingly at her new recruits. So far they hadn't given into the temptations she was putting in front of them to test them on their skills to avoid distractions. Although, if Anemone hadn't brought her team around, Teresa would've enjoyed meting out their punishment for failing their first exam and it would have been a fairly light one. The harder tests and tougher punishments were still to come. Alex looked up at the casually dressed woman standing on the stairs and felt a sense of déjà vu. She'd met this woman somewhere before but for the life of her couldn't remember when and where.

_**"Where have I seen this woman before? Was she wearing that patch over her left eye then or was she not wearing it? Damn I don't know!", **__thought Alex as Sam and Clover picked up their duffle bags._

Sam gazed at Seductress and felt an immense chill. Turning her back on the older woman, she waved her friends closerand cautioned them on their actions.

"I don't know what it is, but I get the feeling we're being tested. I mean, just look at all the temptation on this island: the loincloth-clad attendants to our instructor; the beautiful women and handsome men working here as employees. Hell, a scout for any modeling company could arrive here and within minutes have enough male and female models to do several fashion shows at once. What the hell is going on here? We're gonna have to be extra careful around here.", Sam told her friends as they started up the stairs to meet their instructor.

"Sam, I take it that you've noticed that every guy here is right out of our wildest dreams. It's as if somebody's read our file and figured out our preferences in men and scoured the world for those that fit our type.", commented Clover.

Alex nodded and together the three stopped in front of Seductress. Sam started to say something but Seductress waved her off imperiously and addressed their chauffer.

"Athos, in an hour I need you to grab Porthos and head out to the helipad. We've have some more important guests arriving them to help me train these three miserable excuses for young womanhood.", stated Teresa as the three spies bristled.

"Yes milady. May I ask the names of your arriving guests?"

"But of course you can. However I think you could figure it out on your own. But since you are who you are, I'll tell you: Temptress and Siren are arriving on the V.I.P. tilt-rotor aircraft from the heliport in the city."

Since they were still bristling at the rude dismissal from their instructor; none of the three spies saw the wide look of shock that came over the chauffer. They only became aware of him still being there when he came up the stairs and prostrated himself in front of the girls.

"Ladies, if I may ask what the name of your team is and what are your individual names. It would be a great honor of mine to meet the team that are the cause of the greatest female assassination team in WOOHP's history to reunite even after they vowed to never meet again in such a capacity. Who are you to bring the three members of Belladonna back together?"

Irked by the fawning of the chauffer, Teresa impatiently waved him to his feet and answered his question before Sam could even remember their cover names and the name of their team.

"Athos, this is Ice Dancer. Their individual names are Anemone, Antigone, and Aphrodite. Now I have to get our guests settled in. You are dismissed.", stated Teresa as she pointed at each girl in turn and rattled off their cover names.

"Yes ma'am.! Thank you ma'am!", replied Athos but he was replying to Seductress' back.

The trio of spies just looked at each other and, shaking their heads, followed their instructor inside the large mansion. Once they were through the door, the girls were astonished again. The interior of the mansion was as beautiful as the outside. The black marble floor in the entryway had a shine that bespoke a fresh polishing. Clover was so entranced by the mirror-like finish that it took her a minute to realize that what she was seeing was her own underwear as it was reflected by the polished marble. She eeped in surprise only to catch a gimlet stare from their instructor that was made worse by the fact that Seductress had only one eye.

For her part, Teresa had recognized the dark-haired girl as Foxfire leads' date from three weeks previous and grumbled to herself again. To her the three looked as if they could handle the training but for them to go up against Tortoise with Foxfire they needed to look a bit older and the black haired one needed to let her hair grow. Teresa led the trio into a tearoom off the main foyer and indicated that they should take their seats.

"Tea will be here shortly so have a seat and take a load off.", commented Teresa as she took a seat in one of the high-backed chairs that gave her a position commanding the entire room.

The girls complied and Teresa watched as the trio placed their bags on the floor beside their seats and semi-gracefully lowered themselves into their chosen chairs. Antigone had chosen a chair to Teresa's right that was had the second most commanding view in the room, Aphrodite had managed to sit on the love seat and cross her legs for modesty (Teresa nodded to herself at that). Teresa watched as the one she knew as Anemone took a seat in the chair that matched her own right across from her and gazed intently at her waiting for her reaction. Trained by Trigger Zero and very experienced in these kinds of situations, Teresa didn't rise to the bait and leaned back in her seat and waited. Her patience was rewarded when the red headed Antigone cleared her throat and started to speak to fill the silence before Teresa cut her off. Ignoring the angry eye roll from Anemone, Teresa started her speech.

"If you haven't already figured it out, I am the Seductress. I and some of my associates will be instructing you. This is my mansion and I have no qualms about you being here. In fact, I want you to treat this place as your own, within reason of course."

"Of course, Agent Seductress.", commented Alex with another roll of her eyes.

Teresa didn't let the hostility faze her. She had her orders. Her orders were for her to train these nuggets in her specialties. They didn't specify that she had to treat them with kid gloves. Quick as a flash, Teresa erupted out of her seat, strode the short distance to the insubordinate girl, and slapped her twice across the face in quick succession.

Alex didn't know what happened. One moment the other woman was across the way, the next Alex felt her head jolted by two quick impacts that had her seeing stars. Recovering from the vicious attack, Alex jumped up only to find herself looking down the barrel of the pistol the Seductress had been carrying. Fearing her life and hating her meek response, Alex returned to her seat and glared at the woman before her. It took a second before the pistol was retracted and returned to its position under Seductress' arm.

"For further reference, you three cherry girls will refer to me and my associates as instructor, ma'am, or mistress. As you've just seen, I don't take kindly to insubordination. Be happy that neither of my associates have arrived yet, both of them would have shot you down for less than what I just slapped your friend for. You remember that and maybe you three will finish this training alive. Any questions?"

"Yes ma'am. Is that weapon loaded?", asked Clover sarcastically.

Two bright flashes of light and a pair of thunderous reports later the ornate pillow beside Clover's hand exploded into scraps of feathers and fabric. Clover nearly wet herself as she jumped up startled by the violence of noise and action. Glancing fearfully from the remnants of the pillow to the massive handgun in Seductress' hand, Clover was able to see the smoke wisping from the end of the barrel. The tableau held for a second before Seductress reholstered her weapon and returned to her seat looking for all intents and purposes as if seeing her belongings being blasted to bits was an everyday occurrence for her.

"Hmm, looks like it is. Any more questions?", asked Seductress coolly.

Before anyone could answer, the pounding of rapid footsteps thundered into the sitting room as the always on call ready reaction force entered with weapons drawn. The three spies gazed fearfully at the team. Each member had either an assault carbine or a submachine gun along with multiple clips of reloads and an earbud communication device. Every member of the team also had a ballistic vest and a handgun holstered along their thigh. Alex, Sam, and Clover glanced at each other and each girl had the same thought.

_**"What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?"**_

Turning their attention back to the woman sitting in the place of prominence, they saw that Seductress was calmly ordering the team to leave and explaining the gunshots as a pair of misfires. As the team made to leave, Teresa asked the team leader a question.

"Could you have Vixen replace the pillow that was destroyed? I know she's going to be angry about it but you know how I hate things to be unbalanced."

"Yes mistress, Lady Vixen will be here shortly. I think she's still miffed about all the work you caused her when Foxfire was here.", came the arched voice of a woman with a humorous lilt to it.

"Jeez, she's still upset about that? I thought I did my penance for that already. I still have the scars to prove it.", complained Teresa with a wince.

Sam quirked an eyebrow as she heard the admission. This woman who seemed unstoppable still had scars given to her by the apparent maid being angry over the destruction of a pillow. This could be interesting.

The team leader chuckled at the wince before commenting.

"I think Lady Vixen will bring the pillow with the tea. She kind of figured that you'd probably have a hard time with these three and prepared accordingly."

"Yeah, maybe she did, Vixen has a sixth sense for spies who are probably going to give me trouble. I know she can't wait till she gets to instruct these three in the gym. I have a feeling that is going to be extremely painful for somebody."

The team leader nodded before turning and leaving the room and Teresa turned to her charges with her usual expression of cool calmness and studied indifference. Taking a deep breath, she started again.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. You three have an incredibly harrowing mission ahead of you and it's my job to take your sorry teenage assess and train you to be the best female assassins I can. Oh and do you know that I have to do this in three weeks. You've been assigned to assist Foxfire in getting close enough to their target to take him out. Once the target is neutralized you will be needed to take possession of a package the target has and safely return it to WOOHP. Now I can see that the three of you are wondering what kind of madwoman I am but I can assure you that am no madwoman. My job is to train agents for special missions with special considerations. We'll go over the mission and your training later tonight. Right now I want you to talk to me and tell me about yourselves. Remember, even though I know your real names, I and my staff will refer to you by either your team designation, Ice Dancer; or by your individual codenames; in this case, Anemone, Aphrodite, and Antigone. If you piss me or any of my staff off you don't want to know what name we'll refer to you by. Also, as you've just witnessed, I haven't been giving specific orders on how to treat you girls. So that means I can treat you as good or as bad as I choose to. I will try to treat you like the young women you are, but if you fail any of my exams, you will be punished; sometimes severely and the punishment can take any form I deem fit. Any questions? No, good ah here's our tea. Help yourselves ladies", stated Teresa as she suited her actions to her words and reached for the tea service that an older woman wearing a black pair of pants with a white shirt had left before going over to the couch and shaking her head at the destruction there.

"Seductress, why do you do this to me? If I wasn't the way I am, I'd beat your ass till you cried. Next time try and take something that I haven't handmade. Oh great, the rest of Belladonna is coming aren't they?", expressed the frustrated older woman.

Teresa only nodded and watched Vixen curse again before shifting her gaze to her new charges. Sipping from her delicate cup of tea, Teresa observed the girls over the rim of her cup. Each one had accepted the cup offered to them and had sweetened the tea to their preferences. Making mental observations about each trainee to add to their files, Teresa waited for one of them to start the conversation. As she figured, it was the tall red head that started off the conversation.

_**"Antigone seems to be the uncontested leader of this trio of spies yet she waited for either Aphrodite or Anemone to speak first. When neither did, she did what came naturally and started the conversation. This girl is very interesting; she's trying to gain information without either setting me off and without giving up too much information herself. Antigone passes this test, now to see how her teammates do.",**__ thought Teresa as she listened to Sam talk._

As Sam spoke about the bonds of friendship between herself and her friends, Alex watched their host intently trying to suss out anything else about the complex woman in front of her. Alex figured that this chat was a test in its own right and so far Sam had passed. Correctly guessing that her friends and herself were being separately graded, Alex waited for the instructor to change the topic. She wasn't expecting the topic that Seductress shifted to.

"Have either of you had sex before? I take it that the three of you are virgins?", commented Teresa as she placed her tea cup down on its saucer.

Sam and Clover turned a bright red and stammered out denials while Alex waited for her chance to speak. When got the chance, Alex answered the question with her own question.

"What does that have to do with this training, ma'am?"

Seductress lifted an elegantly arched eyebrow at the question. She hadn't expected this from her trainees. Deciding to take Anemone's training in her own hands once Temptress and Siren arrived, Teresa vowed that by the time she was finished training these young borderline insubordinate wenches, Anemone would be nearly her equal in skill and would make the perfect lifelong companion to Foxfire lead.

_** "I just hope they complete and survive this mission. I'd hate to have to see them fulfill the 'Freelancer' status objectives while they are this young.", **__pondered Teresa as she carefully arranged her answer. _

Alex was sure that Seductress wasn't going to answer and had resigned herself to not finding out why she needed the answer to that question, when she saw her instructor take a deep breath and start speaking.

"I asked that question for a reason. In our line of work, we female assassins have to be ready to use our bodies and our sexuality sometimes in order to get close enough to a target so he or she can be neutralized. It sometimes helps to divest all the emotion out of that act of intimacy on your part. If you don't then you could be ruined for life. Case in point, on one of Belladonna's missions we were assigned the task of taking out a female terrorist who had killed several hundred people in her bid to topple the government of her homeland. All of the intelligence that we received pointed to the fact that this terrorist had a predilection for female sexual partners. Now I don't know what your feelings are on that topic but somebody's sexual orientation doesn't matter to me. In order to get close to the target, we had to infiltrate her organization, deal with her male subordinates, and distinguish ourselves enough so that she'd take us into her confidence and ultimately into her bed. In the end, the target chose me out of the three of us and after several nights of intimacy with the principal, I was able to assassinate her and make it look like a lover's quarrel. As you can see I'm alright and have had a healthy social and sexual life ever since. I've completed missions where I've had to act as a plaything for men of power and their ideas of intimacy. Since retiring from active fieldwork, I've had several healthy relationships with those of the opposite gender and am currently happy to be single."

"How did you manage all of that without catching an STD or getting pregnant?", asked Clover in awe of the woman in front of her.

"When I was in the field as a part of Belladonna, we always made sure to protect ourselves and refused to do anything without our sexual partner-slash-target protecting themselves the same way."

The trio of spies nodded in acknowledgment and wondered how many men and women their instructor had been with in the course of her career. The lingering sight of Alex getting slapped kept the spies from asking that question. Seductress inclined her head as she saw that her charges were learning. Still waiting for an answer from the brown-skinned teen, Teresa leaned forward and reiterated her question, this time directing it solely at Alex. Not one to lie about something as important as that, Alex told Seductress the truth.

"Since you asked, I'm still a virgin. And I'm going to stay that way until I find my Mr. Right."

"Ale…. I mean Anemone, I thought you'd found your Mr. Right already. I mean, you told us that you want to remain by your boyfriend's side for all eternity. Right, Antigone?", chimed in Clover much to Alex' embarrassment and anger.

This woman did not need to know the intimate details of her private life. There were too many temptations here already and her friend had just given their instructor the upper hand in the subordinate-superior relationship with Seductress. Alex hissed at Clover and promised to make her pay for her remark later. Teresa just observed and made a note to talk to Natasha about her misgivings again. She was interrupted in her musings when Vixen arrived and informed her that the tilt-rotor carrying her former teammates was minutes away from arriving. Teresa told Vixen to start preparing dinner for her and her guests.

"Set six places at the table, okay. Have the servants assigned to Ice Dancer put away their luggage and clothes yet?"

"Yes, mistress and they're waiting in the suite of rooms assigned to Ice Dancer. I believe that their dinner apparel has been laid out for them already. With your permission I'll show these ladies to their rooms while you meet your other guests and get changed for dinner."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Ice Dancer, if you will excuse me, I have to go and meet the rest of your instructors. If you'll follow Lady Vixen, she will show you to your rooms. Dinner will be in about an hour and a half. Here we dress formally for dinner. Don't worry about not having anything formal. It will be made available to you. Now if you please.", stated Teresa as she rose from her seat and made to leave the sitting room.

The three spies nodded and turned their attention to the woman left behind as Seductress departed. Vixen watched the girls with a practiced eye and informed them that they could finish their tea before accompanying her to their rooms. It didn't take long and fifteen minutes later the spies and their guide had ascended the mansions' grand stairway to the second floor where they were going to catch the elevator to the next floor where their suite of rooms were situated. Clover asked the guide how many rooms this mansion had.

"Hmm, let me see. I think we have approximately a hundred and twenty-five rooms. That total includes fifteen bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, two kitchens, a conservatory, the sitting room you were just in, a grand ballroom, and two Olympic sized pools; one indoor and one outdoor. The majority of the bedroom suites are on the second and third floors with their accompanying foyers, kitchenettes' and private saunas. I believe the mistress has the three of you in the Moonlight Suite."

"The Moonlight Suite, what can you tell us about that particular suite?", asked Sam, again assuming her role as team leader.

"The Moonlight Suite has three bedrooms with king-sized canopy beds, a long balcony with an ocean view, a pretty well stocked kitchenette and bar, and a joint shower with three separate nozzles in the polished alabaster shower stall. When the mistress and her teammates were training here, they were often assigned to the Moonlight Suite and on several occasions the trio could be found frolicking naked underneath the shower nozzles.", answered Vixen as she pressed the button that called the elevator.

"I see. I take it that our suite is on the third floor? What is on the fourth floor?", questioned Sam as the elevator slid to a silent stop and the quiet bell informed all that it had arrived.

"The fourth floor just has four master suites and Lady Seductress' office. No one is allowed up there without the permission of the mistress. Even then, those that are allowed on the fourth floor are only allowed to visit milady's office. No one on the pain of death thinks about invading the living quarters of our mistress. With the rest of her team arriving, I believe that our lady will have them staying on the fourth floor with her.", answered Vixen with a shudder.

Alex found it curious that this woman knew about the fourth floor if not too many people were allowed up there. When she asked, their guide answered in a roundabout way.

"I've been up there a couple of times to clean up. Once I cleaned the master bedroom with its large bathtub. The other time I had to bring mistress a message from her boss."

Sam nudged Alex and gave her a significant look which Alex recognized. Deciding to halt her questioning for a bit, Alex let the smooth leather interior of the elevator take her away as it lifted her and her friends up to the third floor. As the elevator doors slid open on the third floor, Sam, Alex, and Clover wondered what their boyfriends were doing at that exact moment.

At that exact moment D.C., Sean, and J.T., were ogling the waitresses at Hooters as they waited for Tommy Kurtzmann to show up. The three had been chillin' like villains ever since they'd arrived twenty minutes prior. Dominic looked at his friends as he snatched another of the blazing hot Buffalo wings off the platter that had arrived at the table holding an even fifty wings along with three extremely large cokes, and several small containers of ranch sauce. The platter was down to its last few wings and each teen knew that they'd have to order another one when Tommy arrived.

As he flirted with one of the waitresses, Dominic heard the familiar sound of Tommy's modified Toyota Altezza and glanced out the window. Recognizing the headlights that pulled in to the spot right in front of them (and wanting a set of his own for his FTO) D.C. nudged Sean and pointed, the brown-haired teen nodded and raised his had to get the attention of another waitress. When the lady arrived, Sean told her he had another order.

"Hey baby, we would like another platter of fifty wings and another large soda. Our friend just arrived.", Sean commented as he tried, and failed, to ignore the tight white t-shirt that stretched across her buxom chest and bright orange satin shorts that set off her long and tanned legs.

"Better make it two drinks, Tommy brought Mandy with him.", added Justin as he indicated the demure looking teenage girl climbing out of the passenger seat of the bright metallic electric blue sport sedan.

It seemed to the guys that Mandy had changed clothes from the outfit she'd worn to school. Now she was wearing an ankle length blue skirt and a black denim long-sleeved shirt. On her feet was a pair of sensible tennis shoes instead of the heels she usually wore.

"You know, I never knew that Mandy could look that good. Dressed the way she is, she looks more approachable than at school with her mini and micro skirts and high heels.", mentioned Dominic as he waved the couple over to their table.

Tommy and Mandy saw the wave and veered in their direction. As they approached, the three assassins respectfully rose from their seats and allowed Tommy to pull a chair out for his betrothed. The four men waited till Mandy was seated comfortable before they resumed their seats. An intense silence reigned over the table for a moment before Tommy started to speak.

"Guys, I can explain everything.", started Tommy but Sean cut him off.

"No need amigo. Watching the two of you together right now shows us that you two are meant for each other. I just want to know what the deal is. I thought nobody went in for betrothals in this day and age.", commented the football player.

"You're wrong Sean. Many cultures still practice the custom of betrothing their young children to each other at an early age. In fact, it's still occasionally practiced here in our country. We just prefer to find our perfect mates on our own. Our parents betrothed us to each other at an early age because they figured it would be better than waiting for us to find each other on our own. My mom was against it at first, a trait from her formidable teenage years during the sixties but she's come around.", stated Mandy quietly without her usual bravado.

D.C. and his friends nodded as they listened while Tommy nervously glanced at them to see if they understood. Seeing the acceptance on their faces, the baseball pitcher sighed in relief. The platter of wings arrived along with the extra drinks and the guys indicated that the couple should go ahead and help themselves. As they ate, Mandy asked Dominic how he knew about the betrothal between her and Tommy.

"At the ocean park, Alex and I heard the two of you speaking as we headed back up the path to my car. You sounded like you were crying and Tommy sounded either frustrated or angry. I had to get Alex to promise not to tell Clover before we left. Later that night, Sean told us about the incident in the field house.", answered D.C.

"Yeah, Tommy had asked me to get him in the locker room so he could retrieve his good luck charm. Before he stuffed it inside his pocket, I had a chance to catch a brief glimpse of it. However, I didn't think about it till he pulled you out of the field house and you went along meekly. By the way, you should've known better to enter the field house like that without an escort. I already had to reprimand Clover about it and I'm going to tell you the same thing I told her. Keep your fellow cheerleaders out of the field house on Thursday nights during the rest of football season. Even if they beg and plead, don't allow them to enter unless they have a sound reason and an escort. I hope you realize what could have happened if I hadn't shown up when I did.", commented Sean with a concerned expression on his face.

"Yeah, I do. Tommy jumped all over my case about it after we'd left. Does Clover know?"

"No, but she suspects. And I wouldn't be surprised if she starts sniffing around trying to find out more about the two of you."

"Let her try! I'll stop her poking around in my business!", retorted Mandy with the fire they all knew she had within her.

The three guys glanced at each other while Tommy looked smug as he wrapped an arm around Mandy's shoulder.

"That's my girl. Fiery all the way", he stated proudly.

Dominic and his friends nodded in agreement. The table lapsed into silence as the parties snacked sparingly on the wings. Dominic finished his drink and waved off a refill before leaning forward and resting his hands on the table. Justin and Sean knew that pose. It was the one D.C. used when he had a question and wanted a straight answer.

"Mandy, I've been meaning to ask this ever since that night, what is the rivalry between you and Clover about and why have the two of you let it last this long."

Mandy glanced worriedly at her fiancé and waited to see what he was going to say. The only thing that registered was the slight grinding of his teeth as he philosophized about the reaction the answer would merit. Nodding once, he gave Mandy the go ahead to answer. Emboldened by his trust in her, Mandy sat up straighter and answered without blinking.

"You won't believe this but the reason for our rivalry is a simple one. One day in seventh grade, Clover stumbled on Tommy and me as we were talking about the betrothal behind the gym. At the time, she had a fierce crush on him and was preparing to ask Tommy to the spring dance. When he turned her down she was devastated yet she rebounded quickly as was her wont. However, the night of the dance, Clover saw that Tommy and I had came together and it infuriated her to no end. We had a fight after the dance that resulted in both of us being suspended and banned from attending any of the school dances the rest of the year. At the next dance, Tommy ended up going with somebody else while Clover and I sat at home. Since then we've always competed with each other. It may be as a result of that or it may be just because we absolutely hate each other sometimes. But would you believe that I don't hate Clover as much as I thought I did. In fact I respect her tenacity and wish I had the same tenacity that she has."

The four young men looked at each other in surprise. They heard the truth in Mandy's words and realized that this Mandy; the innocent and demure Mandy, was the true Mandy. The one that nobody got to see because of the facade she maintained at school. Sean grinned as he found out that his words to Clover the night of the field house incident were correct. He grin changed to a frown as he thought about his girlfriend.

_**"Now if only Clover could be as honest with herself as Mandy is. Or at least as honest as Mandy is when she's away from campus."**_

Sean brought his attention back to the conversation when Justin asked the couple what they did about their living situation. The football player listened intently as Tommy explained the arrangement their parents agreed on.

"Oh it's quite simple actually, during the school year Mandy and I stay at our respective parents houses except on weekends and school vacation breaks. On the weekends and during selected school breaks, the two of us live together like a married couple in our own small house. With our house being kind of right on the property line between my family's house and her family's house, it makes keeping the secret of our betrothal easier. When Mandy's friends come over to hang out on the weekend, Mandy makes it look like she's still her parents' mansion. Likewise, when my teammates come over, we hang out at my parents' house. Therefore nobody finds out about Mandy and I living together.", answered Tommy.

"Now with you three finding out about the arrangement, that may change.", growled Mandy.

"Mandy, I thought you'd know us better by now. We wouldn't tell anyone about the arrangement that the two of you have. During baseball season we'll just act as if we don't know. And don't you worry, we'll make sure that Clover, Sam, and Alex don't say anything either. We'll take care of them.", stated Dominic with determination.

Justin listened to his friend assure Mandy that Clover and the others wouldn't say anything once they were told. He knew that being told to keep her mouth shut about the couple wasn't going to go over pretty well with Sean's hotheaded girlfriend but he figured that if anyone could do it Sean could. At least with Sam, she was pretty astute about some things and could be trusted to keep quiet.

_**"Now all we'll have to worry about is Alex spilling it all. Dominic will have his hands full with keeping that girl's mouth shut. Alex could ruin a well planned surprise party with her loose lips. What am I saying, Dominic can handle Alex.",**__ thought Justin as he took another sip of his drink. _

As he set his drink down on the table, a sudden thought hit Justin. Dominic saw the look in J.T.'s eyes and guessed what question the blonde basketball player was going to ask as he opened his mouth. Before Justin could get the words out, D.C. planted his foot on Justin's under the table with enough force to cause the blonde to wince and curse Dominic's clumsiness. Tommy and Mandy stared in confusion as J.T. glared at D.C. who seemed to be ignoring the glare. Mandy turned to Sean and asked what was wrong.

"Oh nothing, D.C. made J.T. remember that some questions shouldn't be asked of friends.", Sean responded with a disarming shake of his head.

"Oh, I understand.", answered Mandy even though it was apparent she didn't.

Next to her Tommy had narrowed his eyes at the interplay. He could guess what Justin was about to ask before D.C. diverted his attention. Wanting to go ahead and bring everything out in the open, Tommy nudged Mandy and asked her a question.

"Love, can you run out to the car and get those pictures we took over the summer. I think there are a few photos of our house I'd like them to see."

"But Thomas, our parents wanted to be the first to see those pictures!", pouted Mandy.

"Mandy I know that. We can still show those to our parents along with the others that we picked up today."

Mandy pouted some more but finally got up and made her way to the car to retrieve the pictures Tommy had asked for. When Mandy had stepped out of hearing distance, Thomas turned his attention back to the three guys in front of him. Pinning Justin with a frown, he told him to take his guesses and shove 'em.

"I know what you were going to ask, Justin and I don't see how that subject is any of your business. Do you know how hard it was for me to get her to come here and face the three of you and admit the secret we've been holding on to for almost seven years? For one of the few times since I've known her, she cried. Mandy actually cried. Do you know how that made me feel for telling her that our secret had been found out by the boy who was dating her fiercest rival? It made me feel as if I'd failed her and I hate to fail. Now you up and start to ask about our personal life only to be stopped by D.C., by the way thanks for that save Dominic I owe you one. I can't believe you. But since you're trying to help I'm going to answer your unasked question. Our sex life is very fine thank you and that's all I'm going to say on that subject.", hissed Tommy with an angry look on his face.

"Okay, okay, okay. My mistake, I shouldn't have been curious about that. I'm sorry.", stated Justin as he held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

Tommy looked at the blonde and figured that he meant what he said and let the topic drop. It was a good thing he did because Mandy returned shortly after that. She hadn't been able to find the photos he was referring to and wasn't too happy about being sent on what she considered a wild goose chase. Her ire had started to rise when Tommy pressed his lips to hers and calmed her protests. Sean choked on his Coke as he smothered a laugh.

"D.C., that reminds me of you and Alex at school earlier. It must be something going around to provoke that reaction.", Sean sputtered as he wiped his mouth with the back of his shirt sleeve.

"Stifle it meathead. At least Alex and I didn't get caught in a closet, the instrument room, and an empty office by campus security.", snapped D.C. good-naturedly.

"Yeah, you and Alex got caught in the school library right after class!", teased Justin.

"Oh yeah, like you and Sam weren't caught, at least Alex and myself and Clover and Sean were caught we weren't tied together. You and Sam were caught with your hands tied together by a pair of panties.", retorted Sean as J.T. had the decency to blush at his misfortune.

The table rocked with the laughter of the three assassins while their two friends looked on in confusion. Mandy turned to Tommy and asked what was going on. Tommy answered that he didn't know and didn't particularly want to find out. Mandy nodded but wondered why the three guys were laughing like they were. Her instinct for information about her schoolmates was twitching and she wanted to know more. Waiting for the laughter to die down to a reasonable level, Mandy mentally phrased and rephrased her question.

"Guys, how did that pair of underwear get into Justin's bag and whose were they? I know that they weren't a pair of Sam's panties.", asked Mandy in an innocent tone of voice once the laughter had died down.

There was dead silence at the table.

The silence unnerved Mandy to the point where she was seconds away from retracting her question when her fiancé saved her. Tommy glared at the three guys and told him that turnabout was fair play. They'd wanted to know something about Mandy and him. Now when Mandy wanted to know something about them, they clammed up. Trust went both ways and if they ever wanted him to trust them again then it would behoove them to answer Mandy's question. Tommy ignored the expressionless gazes that the three guys cast his way and waited for the guys to answer. It took a little bit but finally Dominic spoke.

"Mandy, it's real hard to explain. Just like you and Tommy, the three of us have our own secrets to keep. What I can tell you is that one of our co-workers has an 'eclectic' sense of humor. She thought that her prank would be harmlessly humorous. As you can tell it kind of backfired on her.", replied D.C. steadily.

"Bullshit, that's no answer and you know it, Dominic. What is the real deal behind that prank?", snapped Tommy.

Dominic gritted his teeth. He couldn't answer that question to the extent sought by Tommy because it would violate their training. Looking at his two friends, he saw the worry he was facing mirrored in the eyes of Justin and Sean. Deciding to give Tommy and Mandy a fraction of the truth, he sighed. Borrowing a pen from a passing waitress, D.C. wrote their address on a clean napkin and slid it across the table to Tommy. The baseball star glanced down at it once before bringing his head back up and looking at the tall soccer player across from him.

"Be at that address in one hour. If you can't find it, ask Mandy, she knows where it is. If you're going to find out a little bit about us, I'd rather it not be here in this public place. The secret that we keep can't be revealed. As it is, you're only going to learn a little bit about us to ease your thoughts about trust.", stated Dominic as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

Dominic ignored the astonished looks of Justin and Sean. He knew what they were thinking and he felt the same way. In one hour Dominic was going to bend one of the rules put in place by WOOHP to keep the identities of their assassins completely confidential. D.C. hoped that Natasha and Jerry didn't find out about this. The ramifications of their finding out would be unpleasant.

_**"And if Seductress finds out, the ramifications of my bending the rules would be ……..very extreme.", **__thought D.C. as he sat back and directed his attention back to his drink. _

Back on the island, Alex and her friends were waiting in their suite of rooms to be called for dinner. Each girl was wearing the gown that had been laid out on her beds when they had made it to their room. Vixen had assured the girls that the dresses would fit perfectly when the tried them on. The retired veteran had also informed the girls that they were required to wait in their suite until they were summoned for dinner.

"Your escorts will arrive to accompany you to dinner when the time is right. Until then the three of you can do whatever you choose. It will be awhile before the mistress returns with the rest of your training cadre. Please use the time however you'd like. The attendants you see here are yours. You can ask them to do whatever it is you want, within reason of course.", spoke Vixen as she indicated the six beautiful women standing in the center of the room.

Shortly after that, the maid left the three spies to their own devices and went about her duties. Sam glanced at her two friends out of the corner of her eyes as they visually perused the women who'd be attending them. The red head figured that anything the attendants overheard would be reported back to their instructor soon enough. Not wanting to give Seductress another lever to use against them, Sam faked a yawn and told the women that she was exhausted from the trip and wanted to take a nap. Catching the hint, Clover and Alex did the same and within minutes the three spies were sleeping off their exhaustion from their day. That had been three hours ago.

When they'd been woken up by the attendants, Alex, Sam, and Clover had felt refreshed and recharged. Blinking the sleep from their eyes, the spies found that a bath had been drawn for them. When the three girls entered the bathing area, they were impressed by the large bathtub. As they approached the tub they realized that the water was scented to smell like lilacs. Looking at each other and shrugging their shoulders, the three girls were gently assisted out of their clothes by their attendants and climbed into the warm, lilac scented water. It surprised some when three of the attendants entered the tub with them. By now used to the service they were receiving, Alex, Clover, and Sam didn't bat an eye and allowed the nude attendants to gently scrub their bodies clean.

Now clean and dressed in their selected evening wear, the girls dismissed their attendants for the evening and sat down to discuss their impressions of the place since their arrival. Sam cast a look at her friends and shook her head. With all the attention they'd received at the hands of their attendants, Alex and Clover looked older and more mature. Sam didn't doubt that to them she looked the same way from her well manicured and professionally painted fingernails, to her brilliant red off the shoulder silk ball gown, to her freshly washed and styled hair hanging in a simple yet elegant ponytail down her back.

"Girls, lets talk about what has happened to us since we've arrived. Alex, ever since the guide mentioned Countess de Aquitaine you've been on edge, care to tell us about your reaction?", asked Sam.

Wearing a very clingy and seductive green dress that precluded the wearing of any undergarments, and with her dark short haired styled in a French roll that allowed for several curls to slip out and frame her soft face and its subtle cosmetics, Alex closed her eyes and sighed.

"Yeah Sam, I'll talk. Three weeks ago Dominic and I had the dubious honor of meeting Countess de Aquitaine. Let's just say it wasn't the highlight of my evening."

"What can you tell us about this countess, Alex?", asked Clover.

Alex sighed again and remembered the elegantly sensual and erotic woman who'd given her and Dominic a bottle of expensive wine and basically paid for their respectably priced meal.

'What can't I tell you, Clover? That is the question. Countess Teresa de Aquitaine is wealthy, has impeccable manners, prefers an expensive wine, and is very very beautiful. The countess looks so beautiful that not one of the girls at our school could even compare. She's seductive and can use her body language to get any man she wants without half trying. When she was around, I felt as if she was a competitor for Dominic's feelings."

Unbeknownst to the girls, their conversation was being recorded by the cameras hidden in the suite. The cameras sent all of their recorded video and audio up to a fourth floor transfer station that streamed the video to the Teresa's office. At the moment, Teresa was watching the girls discuss their arrival on the island with her friends Temptress and Siren.

Reducing the volume of the video, Teresa spun her chair around to face the two women sitting on the other side of her desk. She directed her first words to the ebony goddess in the midnight black, body hugging sheath dress sitting on the right.

"What do you think, Siren? Are the girls of Ice Dancer trainable?"

The assassin known as Siren looked her former teammate in the eye and gave her the best answer she could.

"In the amount of time we've been given by WOOHP? I don't know. I take it that you've already begun one facet of their training. And from what you told me about your punishing the smart one, it may be even harder. Still, I would definitely like to give it a chance. These girls will need all the help they can get if they are assisting Foxfire in going after The Tortoise.", mused Isis Tabitha Arsenault as she rubbed the prosthetic limb that had replaced her left leg where it had been shot away.

Teresa nodded in agreement before turning her attention to the slender blonde haired woman sitting next to Siren.

"What about you Temptress? What do you think?", Teresa asked.

Wearing an electric lime green dress studded with semi-precious stones around the bust, Carmine Jeanette de Gyrfalcon stroked her chin with the index finger of her left hand. She preferred to use her remaining hand to do simple tasks like that instead of assigning her life-like prosthesis to do something so menial. Carmine still remembered her violation at the hands of the target and his men but she'd come a long way both mentally and physically since then. Carmine had recently attended an opera with a young gentleman of her acquaintance and had been able to allow a man to intimately touch her for the first time since that painful mission. Of course when she told Isis and Teresa, the two had squealed like the schoolgirls they had been and pestered her for specifics. They were happy that the Carmine that had known before the mission was starting to make a comeback and she would soon be back to her old self. Carmine knew that the trauma of her rape would never be fully exorcised but she hoped that one day she too could get married and have a happy life with the man she loved.

Right now, the Temptress was concentrating on the task at hand. And that meant answering Teresa's question about the feasibility of getting the girls of Ice Dancer trained well enough to assist Foxfire.

"Teresa, it's doable but we're going to have to really speed up their training. It doesn't help that during the week those three have to be at school. And on the weekends they won't get but four hours of sleep if we accelerate their training on those days. I have a feeling that they aren't going to like that one bit. However, it needs to be done because if they screw up during the actual mission, they won't have time to regret it. Like I said earlier, it's doable but it'll be hard on both them and us.", replied Carmine in her soft alto.

Teresa nodded; she'd expected their words during the entire time she was waiting for her teammates to arrive. However, Teresa hadn't told them that Natasha had authorized the mission status change to 'Freelancer' status but her friends needed to know about it. Taking a deep breath Teresa spoke.

"That's good. Unfortunately, things have gotten a bit worse and these girls need this training more than ever. To facilitate the accelerated training, each of us will pick one of the Ice Dancer girls to personally train. I've already chosen Anemone because she seems like she has the spirit to complete this mission. With what I learned today from Trigger Zero that may be the only advantage these girls will have."

"What did the boss tell you, Seductress? You know better than to keep things from us like this. Especially when it affects our decisions.", snapped Siren as Temptress nodded in agreement.

Teresa looked at the angry expression on her friends faces and knew that they were going to hate her for keep this from them. It wasn't the first time she'd had to keep things from those that knew her best outside of her family. Sighing to herself, Teresa told her friends what Natasha had told her. As expected, it was Carmine who reacted first.

"You mean that Natasha authorized making this particular mission a 'Freelancer' status mission? What in the hell is she thinking? Is she trying to isolate Foxfire from the repercussions if they fail the mission and live?", growled the twenty-seven year old retired assassin.

"I don't know, Carm. I really don't know. Whatever happens to those guys, I don't want to think about right now.", muttered Teresa as she started to rise from her seat so they could attend dinner.

Before Teresa could get far, Siren asked a question.

"Not to change the subject, Teresa but there is something I am wondering about."

"What is it, Isis?", Teresa said.

"I was wondering about why you left HQ before your complete recovery. I've been curious about it for the past three years. I mean, you left Carmine and I; women who were closer to you than sisters in more ways than one, to recover as best as we could without even saying goodbye. A year or so later, I've gotten over that slight and am going through my rehabilitation when, lo and behold, who do I find out is running the island. Care to explain that to me, Countess Teresa.", stated Siren with a noticeable edge to her voice.

Teresa gazed at the serious look on Isis' face and knew that she meant what she said. Deciding to part with one of her most closely held secrets (this secret was so secret that no one at WOOHP Headquarters knew about it. Not even Jerry.).

"I'll do better than that, I'll show you. On one condition though."

"What condition is that?", asked a confused Carmine.

"That what I show you; you can never tell anyone connected to the organization. If you do, I'll know immediately who told and I believe you remember how well I go about my personal vengeance."

Isis and Carmine nodded with the former shivering as she remembered how far Teresa could carry revenge.

Satisfied that her friends knew how deadly serious she was, Teresa lead the way out of her office and down the hall. When she bypassed the elevator, her friends knew that the seductive trainer was heading towards the master suite. Arriving at the massive closed door that lead to her private quarters, Teresa glanced back at her friends before taking a hold of the knob and turning gently turning it so the door could be opened quietly. Glancing at the rare watch on her left wrist, she saw that her secret was probably asleep. Stepping inside her living room, Teresa moved to one side and allowed the other two members of Belladonna to file in behind her.

"From this point on, I need to two of you to be very quiet. I don't want to wake them up.", murmured Teresa quietly.

"Them, who is this 'them', Teresa?", asked Isis.

"Oh you'll see."

Leading the way through the living room into the hallway that connected the various rooms of the fourth floor suite, Teresa led them to a partially closed door. Isis and Carmine knew that further along the hallway was the door to the monstrous master bedroom they remembered from their days of training. The two retired assassins observed as Teresa eased the door open a bit further and stepped into the room. They were a bit curious when the one time team queen of fashion undid the ankle straps on her expensive high heeled shoes and slipped her feet into a pair of comfortably ragged slippers and motioned for them to do the same. Isis lifted an eyebrow at Carmine and received a shrug of the shoulders in response. Seeing no reason not to, the two women did the same and followed Teresa to a pair of identical baby beds.

Leaning first over one bed then the other, Teresa motioned her friends over to take a look for themselves and stepped back. Isis and Carmine gazed over into the baby bed and received the greatest shock of their lives. Lying asleep in the first crib was a beautiful three year old girl who was the spitting image of her mother except for the shape of her eyes. The shape of the girls' eyes gave away who her father was.

The little girl had eyes the same shape as the late leader of the Snowcat team.

The two women yanked their heads out of the crib and cast wide eyes on their friend as if in confirmation. Receiving it and moving other to the other baby bed and if they didn't believe who the father of the three year old girl was, one glance at her twin brother proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the late leader of the Snowcat Team fathered both of these children. Isis glanced sharply at Teresa for a verbal confirmation.

"This is the reason why I disappeared from WOOHP midway through my recovery. And before you ask, yes Snowcat Leader is the father. Anton and Angelica were conceived three weeks before that disastrous mission. At the time we were sent out and my beloved and I were captured I didn't know I was pregnant but I suspected it. If you remember I had been sick all the week leading up to our leaving. I told him my suspicions as we were tossed into our respective cells after being beaten and interrogated.", stated Teresa on the verge of tears.

Isis and Carmine nodded. And Carmine spoke.

"At least he knew about it before he died."

Teresa nodded while wiping the tears off of her face. When she was finished, her face resembled the face the two women with her recognized as her war face. The Seductress was now ready to train Ice Dancer the way she had been ordered to train them. Nodding her head once, the trio of former assassins made their way to the elevator where their loincloth clad escorts waited patiently. One floor down, a trio of similarly clad escorts waited outside the suite where Anemone, Aphrodite, and Antigone waited.

Thirty minutes later, the six women entered the dining room and each lady was escorted to her seat by her assigned escort. The chairs were pulled out and taking the lead from their instructors, the girls of Ice Dancer waited for their head instructor to take her seat before lowering themselves into their seats for dinner. Around the room were scantily clad male and female servers awaiting their orders. Teresa nodded at one of the female servers attired in a really short French Maid's outfit and soon music flowed through the room from hidden speakers.

Sam and her friends were in awe of the display of tantalizing flesh as the various servers moved around the room with a purpose. Some of the female servers had their many 'charms' hidden by nothing more than a nearly transparent harem outfits. Other female servers wore the tightest of dresses with splits up the sides that did nothing for the modesty of the servers and left little to the imagination of what lay beneath the silk outfits. Teresa and her two friends observed the reactions of the girls as they tried (and occasionally failed) to not show interest in the fleshpot party scattered around them.

For her part, Alex tried to keep her mind on the picture of Dominic she'd concealed in the valley of her breasts so that he was never far from her heart. The teen knew that if she showed any form of interest in any of the men and women, her instructors would jump on it like a lion jumps on its prey. Waiting for the arrival of the first course, Alex saw that the champagne glass beside her place had been filled with what she could guest was the most expensive Dom Perignon ever. Remembering how she'd been after consuming half a bottle of wine when she and Dominic had gone out, Alex vowed to take her time with the alcohol. There was the chime of silverware on crystal and Seductress stood up.

"Ladies it's been decided that to accelerate your training there will be times when you will report directly to one of us as your personal teacher. My associates and I have discussed it and made our choices on who we want to train in those one on one sessions. The three of you will learn who your personal instructor will be after dinner. At which time you will be given an envelope with instructions. Follow the instructions in those envelopes to the letter or you will be punished as you've already discovered since you've arrived.", stated Seductress wryly as she unconsciously rubbed her right hand where she'd slapped Alex across the face.

The first course arrived and was set out for the women to eat and conversation basically ceased except for small questions each of the instructors asked the girls about their lives and their times as WOOHP Agents. By unspoken agreement and to not compromise the secrecy of their organization, no questions were asked about past missions by either the assassins of Belladonna or the spies of Ice Dancer.

Ah hour or so later (according to how precipitously and rapidly the level of champagne in the large bottle dropped) everyone at the table was feeling particularly low-lidded when dessert, a delectably sinfully rich raspberry cheesecake, arrived and the servants sliced the cake and served each lady seated at the table a large piece. At the head of the table, Seductress and the other two members of Belladonna were making mental notes about how their charges held their alcohol. It wasn't looking too good for the girls of Ice Dancer. Aphrodite was giggling insanely at just about everything while Antigone was fawning over one of the attractive servers. Only Anemone was semi-lucid and that was because, Teresa had observed the dark haired girl sparingly sip her drink.

Rubbing the jewel encrusted white silk patch over her left eye. Teresa signaled for the envelopes she'd alluded to earlier to be delivered. She also asked for a pot of strong, rich Columbia coffee to be placed on the table. This was more for the spies of Ice Dancer's benefit than Belladonna's since the members of Belladonna were past masters of handling their booze.

_**"We still have a long way to go to even think about attempting to drink Natasha under the table. She can put away so much and not let it affect her one tenth of one third how it affects us. At least Foxfire can handle theirs when they need to. In that respect those three are similar to Snowcat. Snowcat could sure hold their alcohol.", **__thought Teresa fondly as she remembered her late love while taking a bite of cheesecake. _

Checking the watch on her wrist, Teresa saw that it was getting pretty late. That realization was punctuated by a loud yawn from one of her fellow former assassins. Siren grinned sheepishly when everyone glanced her way.

"Sorry Seductress, it's been a long time since I've stayed up this late. My fiancée and I are usually in bed much earlier than this.", apologized Siren.

"Yeah, I can guess what the two of you do in that bed before you fall asleep but I'm sure I don't really want to be introduced to your fantasies.", retorted Temptress good-naturedly.

"Yeah right. If I remember correctly, you were the one of us who was always on the lookout for what you called 'new meat' back in the day.", Siren shot back with a laugh.

The entire table chuckled as Temptress flushed a bright red. Seductress crossed her hands in front of her face and smiled at her two friends as they settled into the familiar teasing routine she remembered from their earlier days. Shifting her gaze from her friends to the trio of young women at the end of the table, Seductress saw that they understood the hidden meanings in the conversation. Deciding to stop the familiar bickering before it got out of hand; Seductress gently tapped her champagne glass with her fork. The chiming of crystal pealed out and each of the women at the table directed their attention towards the Seductress. The head instructor had risen to her feet after getting everyone's attention.

"Ladies of Ice Dancer, I direct your attention to the envelopes that are presently being handed to you. You are not to open your specific envelope in the presence of one another. Once you have returned to your suite of rooms you are to retire to your respective sleeping quarters. In your quarters each of you will find an exquisite letter opener. Use that item to open your envelope. Once you read the contents inside, you are to memorize and destroy what is written within. Those instructions will inform you of which of the three of us will be your personal instructor. You are not to share the details of your message with the others. If you disobey these instructions, you will be punished accordingly. Now if you will excuse us, my team members and I will see you later. You can stay and help yourself to some more cheesecake or you can return to your rooms. It is your decision. Have a good evening, ladies.", stated Seductress as her two teammates rose to their feet.

Alex watched the trio of older women as they departed the room with their escorts. She made a mental note when she saw that it took Siren a bit longer to move and when she did, the black instructor walked with a kind of stiff-legged gait. Wracking her champagne addled brain, Alex tried to remember where she had seen that kind of gait before. The memory eluded her and she let it go to be remembered later and turned her attention to her friends.

Alex took one look at Sam and Clover and shook her head. Her two friends had imbibed a bit more champagne than they should and the tall redhead and the shorter blonde were happily drunk. It looked as if Sam had finally been able to coerce the cute female server who'd caught her attention into stopping by her room later. Why Sam wanted the attractive young lady to stop by their room later Alex didn't want to think about. She already had enough problems on her plate without adding to them. Hearing a thud, Alex quickly turned her attention in the direction of the sound and discovered that Clover had fallen out of her seat while trying to get up and was now sitting on the floor with an idiotic grin on her face. With her legs splayed out on the floor in front of her it seemed to Alex that an inebriated Clover was woefully uninhibited and not particularly caring about the fact that she was giving everyone a free peek at the satin thong underneath her peach dress. Deciding that she was full and had had enough, Alex gracefully rose to her feet, cleared her throat, and announced her intentions to her friends.

"Sam, Clover, I'm going upstairs to get out of this dress and get a bit of rest. I'll see you in the morning before school."

Seeing the acknowledgements from her friends, Alex turned from the table and followed her loincloth clad escort out of the dining room and towards the grand staircase leading to the second floor and elevator. Once inside the elevator, Alex leaned against the polished wall of the elevator and closed her eyes. Lifting her gloved left hand up and reaching inside the bust of her dress, Alex pulled out the picture of Dominic she'd placed there earlier. Bringing the picture up to her face, Alex opened her eyes and gazed lovingly at the picture she'd taken last weekend when she'd came over to hang out with D.C. J.T. had opened the door and let her in when she'd stopped and rang the bell. Justin had mentioned that Dominic had fallen asleep on the couch while watching his copy of the Robotech movie 'The Shadow Chronicles' for about the tenth time. Alex had waved it off and dashed into the house only to come to a sliding stop when she saw her cargo shorts attired boyfriend snoring quietly on the couch. At the time her mental faculties had short circuited when she saw that D.C. wasn't wearing a shirt.

Feeling her heart start beating faster as she stared at the picture of her bare-chested and sleeping love of her life, Alex missed it when the elevator stopped on the third floor. She started and nearly dropped the picture when her escort cleared his throat and announced that the elevator had arrived on the third floor. Alex nodded at the man and dismissed him but he shook his head in negation.

"Miss Anemone, I was ordered to escort you to your room. I have to remain by your side until you have entered your quarters. Once you've entered I'm under orders to remain by the door until you, Miss Aphrodite, and Miss Antigone are asleep.", stated the nearly naked man in a surprisingly soft voice.

Alex shook her head and cursed. This guy was going to stand watch outside of her room until Clover and Sam arrived and the three of them went to sleep. Knowing that didn't make Alex feel safer. She vowed to herself that once she and her friends followed the instructions in their letters, she was going to use the deadbolt and lock the door securely.

Acknowledging the fact that temptation was going to be sitting right outside the suite, Alex thanked the man and entered the main room before kicking off her shoes. Sighing as her newly freed bare feet sank into the plush carpet, the dark-haired teenager made her way to her room. Opening the door and entering the majestic bedroom with its canopy bed, Alex made her way over to the vanity and saw the jewel encrusted letter opener mentioned by Seductress. Recognizing the precious stones embedded in the letter opener's hilt, Alex whistled as she mentally totaled the carats of each stone and added it all together.

_**"Damn, that ain't no ordinary letter opener. That is a priceless museum piece. How in the hell did WOOHP and Seductress get something like this. I can't wait to see the letter openers Clover and Sam find.", **__thought Alex as she dropped into the chair situated in front of the vanity and took a deep breath. _

Placing her envelope in the center of the vanity table and picking up the slender knife, Alex felt a sudden flash of unease come over her. Shrugging it off, she reached down and scooped up the envelope in her left hand and turned it over. Finding that there was no way to undo the seal without cutting it, Alex slipped the end of the opener into the spot where the flap overlapped the envelope proper and slit the flap along its spine. Once the envelope had been opened, Alex placed the sharp knife on the top of the table in an out of the way spot where she wouldn't accidentally cut herself. The blade on that letter opener looked positively murderous. Reaching in to the now opened envelope with two fingers, Alex felt a thin sheet of an exceptional grade of parchment.

Extracting the sheet, Alex found that the sheet of parchment was actually a half sheet and was in reality a card that had been elegantly folded to fit in the small envelope with nary a crease. Unfolding the sheet, Alex took another deep breath and looked down to see who her personal instructor was going to be for this special training.

It took a moment for the name to be recognized but when she did, Alex's breath caught in her throat. Out of the three instructors, she'd gotten the one she absolutely did not want. It was all there in beautifully rendered calligraphy.

"_**Seductress"**_

Alex groaned in frustration. She did not want to the Seductress to be her private tutor. The woman had already slapped her across the face twice and Alex knew that with her temper if she allowed the actions of Seductress to get under her skin, things would only be worse.

_"Her? Why her? Why did the Seductress choose me as her personal student? This is not right! Dammit!!"_, Alex shouted at the silent and well ornamented walls around her.

Grumbling uncomplimentary things under her breath, Alex prepared to toss the damming message into the trash can when she noticed some other writing.

"_**Do not allow your phone to ring more than twice"**_

Alex scratched her head and wondered what the handwritten note meant. Glancing around the bedroom, Alex took in everything within visual range and saw that nothing had been added to or taken from her bedroom in the two or so hours she and her friends had been at dinner. Alex was well into her fourth visual sweep of the room when heard Clover and Sam stagger and stumble into the suite laughing loud drunken laughter. As the noise from the intoxicated pair in the main room dropped, Alex glanced around the room again. Still not seeing the phone the note referred too she sighed in resignation.

"Phone, what phone, I don't see a phone. If she's fucking with my mind about the phone I'm going to let Seductress know that her mind games aren't appreciated.", groused Alex as she started to take the pins holding her hair up out.

Just as her fingers wrapped around the first pin, Alex heard the trilling of a small phone and it seemed to be coming from somewhere very close. It also sounded muffled as if it was covered by something. Closing her eyes and concentrating on the sound, Alex listened to the trill. Her eyes popped open when realization made her check the one place she hadn't thought about looking. Dropping her eyes to the vanity and letting them flit around and alight on every object on the table top Alex searched for the phone. When she didn't see it on top of the vanity table, Alex figured out where the phone could be. It was the only place where it wouldn't be visible.

The dark-haired teenaged soccer player reached down and pulled open the bottom drawer of the vanity and found the cause of the trilling sitting nice as you please in a space specially cut out for it. Reaching down and picking up the old fashioned handset, she held it to her ear.

"Hello?", Alex answered quietly.

"Keep your dress on and meet Vixen out in the suite's sitting room. She will bring you up to the fourth floor. Follow her instructions completely and without question. You have five minutes.", finished the familiar voice before the connection was cut.

Alex looked at the handset in her hand with a frown before replacing it on its cradle. Correctly guessing that her five minute countdown had begun once her tutor had hung up, Alex sighed in resignation and rose from the feminine chair in front of the vanity and crossed the bedroom to the closet where several pairs of shoes (both dress, casual, and sport) sat waiting to be worn. Casting a quick look at a pair of comfortable looking black moccasin style house shoes, Alex passed up on wearing them and left her chosen bedroom.

Reentering the sitting room, Alex saw where her discarded high heels now rested and figured that either Sam or Clover had moved them from the middle of the floor. Sighing again, Alex reached down and picked the expensive pair of shoes up. Taking a seat on the leather couch, Alex slipped the two inch heels on and redid the belts that secured them to her dainty feet. Once that was done, she crossed her legs (or crossed them as much as her skintight dress allowed and still keep her modesty) and waited for Vixen to arrive.

Exactly five minutes after Seductress' call, the front door to the suite opened and in walked Vixen. The retired assassin took one look at the young lady sitting on the couch and crooked her finger. Alex rose to her feet, nodded once, and followed the older woman out of the suite. It didn't take long for Alex to realize that Vixen was leading her to the elevator. The sudden implication of where Vixen was taking her made Alex's head spin. She was being taken up to the fourth floor. Alex shuddered as her imagination ran amok with all sorts of scenarios. Steeling herself for whatever was ahead of her Alex squared her shoulders, lifted her head, and let the picture she carried close to her bosom give her strength to deal with whatever came her way.

Teresa de Aquitaine blew out the match she carried in her fingers as the peaches and crème scented candle she'd just lit came to life and filled the room with its bouquet. Still wearing her dinner dress, she awaited the arrival of her student. Taking a seat at her vanity table, Teresa took off the citrine earrings she'd worn and placed them in the open jewelry box that sat to the left of the mirror. Looking in the mirror at her reflection, the twenty-six year old former assassin gently pulled a moist towelette out of its package and used it to clean the make-up from her face. Once her beautiful but scarred features (she often called them beautifully scarred) were clear of any traces of make-up, Teresa open the top drawer of the table and looked at a picture sitting within. Smiling softly at the photo, Teresa replaced it and waited for Vixen to arrive with her pupil.

It was only five minutes but it seemed like hours when Vixen brought Alex to the door and knocked once. Hearing her mistress bade her to enter, Vixen opened the door and indicated to Alex that she should go ahead and enter the room.

"The mistress is in her bedroom. Take the hallway and follow it to the end. She will be waiting for you.", Vixen told the young lady.

Alex nodded and took a timid step inside before mentally shaking herself and taking the determined steps she had told herself she was going to take. Two minutes after she'd entered the hallway, Alex was standing in front of a closed door. Raising her small fist to knock, she held back when her tutor told her that the door was open and to come on in.

Alex entered the bedroom and the first thing she saw were the low lights and the massive canopy bed. Her nose wrinkled as she smelled the familiar scent of peaches and crème and wondered why the room smelled that way.

"I lit some candles. I hope you don't mind.", Seductress stated by way of an explanation.

"No, I don't mind. They smell pretty good.", replied Alex as she sat down on the other chair in the room.

Seductress nodded her thanks while facing the mirror above her vanity. Turning her chair so she could face her student, Teresa took a closer look at the assassin in training. It was hard for her to see with her eye patch on in the dim lighting and gave up after a few minutes. Turning back to the mirror, Seductress unlatched her watch and laid it on the table. Calling the younger woman over, Seductress asked Anemone to give her a hand.

"Anemone, go over to my chest of drawers and look in the top drawer. Once you open the drawer, you'll see a plethora of eye patches. Some of them are in better shape than others. See if you can find me the water proof patch. Once you find it, bring it to me. Be careful, some of those eye patches are priceless and impossible to replace; all of them are either silk or satin."

"Yes, instructor.", replied Alex as she bit her tongue to keep from adding to her reply.

Coming to her feet, Alex stepped over to the piece of furniture and opened the top drawer and stopped. Behind her, Alex heard Seductress snicker as she saw Alex's reaction to the very risqué lingerie sitting inside the drawer. Feeling her cheeks heat up with embarrassment and violently squelching the thought, Alex found the eye patches in a spot specifically for them. Putting the mental images of her instructor attired in the lingerie in a tightly closed corner of her mind, Alex pulled out the patch Seductress had asked for and made her way over to where her tutor sat. After handing the patch to Seductress, Alex stood next to the older woman awaiting her next instructions. It didn't take long for her to receive them.

Seductress rose to her feet and stretched her arms after putting her eye patch on and looked over her shoulder at her pupil. Seeing that Anemone stood beside her, the one-eyed former assassin asked a question.

"You look as if you need a relaxing bath. Would you care to join me in the bathtub? I believe that Siren and Temptress as well as your teammates will be there also."

Alex was shocked at Teresa's audacity and it showed on her face. Screwing up her courage to ask why Seductress had asked the question, Alex braced herself for the expected slap. Surprisingly it didn't arrive. Opening eyes she didn't know she'd closed, the teen pressed ahead with her question.

"At times like these it's good for a team to have a bond closer than sisters. I've observed that while you and your friends have such a close bond, that bond could be strengthened. Besides I find that it would be easier to brief you and the rest of Ice Dancer on this mission in a stress free environment.", came the answer.

Still a bit caught out, Alex could only blink her eyes. Seductress took that action as a yes and turned back to the mirror.

"If you don't mind, please help me out of this dress.", added Teresa as she lifted her long hair up so her student could get at the zipper.

Almost against her will, Alex reached up and took the decorative zipper and-with trembling hands-started easing it down along its track. When she reached the end of the zipper track, Alex lowered her hands and stepped back, allowing Seductress to let her dress slither down her firm and fit body till it puddled on the floor at her feet then delicately lifted one dainty leg and stepped out of the pile of fabric bunched around her feet. Alex's eyes widened in awe as she realized that underneath her dress, Seductress had been as naked as the day she was born. The only thing that kept her trainer from being completely nude was the red and black lace garters and the suppressed pistols holstered on her legs.

As she took in the sight of Seductresses' tanned skin, Alex noticed that there appeared to be several old scars all over her instructor's body. Teresa noticed her charge staring and quietly laughed.

"Not much to look at, huh? I got all of these scars during my time as an active WOOHP assassin. Some of these were inflicted by the person you, your teammates, and Foxfire are going after.", commented Teresa as she turned around to face Alex.

Alex gulped as she allowed her eyes to fall to the neatly trimmed patch of dark pubic hair that lead to her instructors' depths. As she stared at her instructor's sensually lithe and trim body, she felt a sudden longing that defied all description and explanation. Violently squelching the thought with a shake of her head, Alex averted her eyes. She grimaced as she heard an amused chuckle from behind her.

"You don't have to be ashamed at your reaction, I'm not. In the privacy of my own home, I don't worry about modesty. By the time you and your teammates finish up your training, you'll probably feel the same way. On an assassination mission there is no such thing as modesty. Let that be the first thing I teach you."

Alex nodded but kept her eyes averted and waited for her next instructions. She guessed what those were going to be but felt a little trepidation. Her fears were justified when Teresa cleared her throat and gazed expectantly at her.

"Are you going to take a bath in that dress or what?"

"What do you mean?"

Seductress sighed in frustration. This girl was acting a bit dense and it didn't suit her personality. Seductress knew from reading the file about the spy called Anemone was smart enough to pick up on the obvious even though she did have a big mouth. Narrowing her eyes and compressing her lips, Seductress motioned the younger woman closer.

"Come here and turn around, Anemone.", Seductress said with a hint of the steel underlying her tone.

Recognizing that she'd just been given an order, Alex meekly did as she was told and approached her taskmaster with an air of trepidation. When Alex got close enough she stopped and turned around in front of her tutor. Feeling intimidated by the aura of command coming from the older woman, Alex felt a gasp of fear lodge in her throat. Alex felt ten times more vulnerable with her back to her instructor and not being able to see what was behind her. Feeling a light touch on her back, Alex drew in a breath. When the sense of contact lifted, Alex relaxed. In her relief she barely felt the sensuously slow undoing of her dresses' zipper and didn't realize that it had completed its travel until the soft flow of cool air hit her back.

"Your dress is undone, I take it you know what to do next?", asked Seductress in a low tone of voice.

"Yes ma'am.", answered Alex as her fear flared up again.

"Then do it and don't waste time."

To afraid to speak, Alex just nodded and allowed her dress to slip off of her lithe form and puddle at her feet. Lifting a foot more used to tennis shoes and soccer cleats than expensive high heeled shoes, Alex stepped away from the bundle of silk, satin, and tulle and turned to face her instructor. Too nervous to look Seductress in the eyes and very aware of her nakedness, Alex kept her face pointed at the floor and had self-consciously lifted her arms up to cover her bare breasts. The teenage spy waited for judgment from the lady of the manor.

Teresa held her breath in as she smothered the gasp of awe that fought to escape from her aquiline throat. The naked eighteen year old girl before her was exquisitely beautiful with her flawless brown sugar toned skin and demure posture. With eight years and numerous experiences on her young protégé, Teresa knew that if she was eight years younger and with both eyes, she still would never measure up to the young picture of a budding flower in front of her. It was obvious to Teresa that Anemone was completely oblivious to the effect the high heels had on her posture.

_**"DAMNATION!!! This girl doesn't know that right now her body is the most lethal weapon she'd ever need in this line of work. She's already tall at a firm five foot nine and with an already athletic figure from playing soccer and subtle muscles from the espionage missions she and her friends have already done for WOOHP, if Anemone were to become a true assassin, she'd be the best female assassin of all time. I can't compare to her now. Hell I couldn't compare to her in my prime. I've just been given a lump of coal to shape into the most perfect diamond in the world. Anemone is a true diamond in the rough. ", **__thought Teresa as she continued her observations of the younger girl. _

At that instant, a flash of memory came to the twenty-six year old former assassin.

_**Flashback**_

_"Twenty two year old Teresa de Aquitaine lay in bed next to her beloved as he relaxed from another mission. Sterling Focker, the six foot four inch leader of WOOHP's Snowcat assassination team, sighed as he held her close. Teresa knew that Sterling and Snowcat had been sent to observe their protégés, the fourteen year old boys of Team Foxfire and give assistance where and when it was necessary. Teresa's team, Belladonna had returned from their own mission several days previous and this was the first time she'd been able to spend with Andre in a long time. She heard the sigh and wondered what it meant. _

_"Sterling, is something wrong?", she asked with a tinge of concern in her voice. _

_Sterling chuckled as he heard the worry and concern in his companion's voice. Teresa sometimes worried too much._

_"No love. Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about that kid leading Foxfire. He is just so good that he reminds me of myself when I first started. Sometimes he frightens me. Foxfire Lead either lacks emotions, or he covers them so well he seems emotionless. I know that you and the members of Belladonna have been taking a part in their training whenever you and they are on the island at the same time. And you know what, I'm not jealous about it.", answered Andre._

_Teresa stiffened at his words. Their assistance in the training of Foxfire had been requested by Trigger Zero to help the boys develop skills to recognize and avoid the wiles of female enemies. The 'honeytrap' training often involved having intimate relations with the trainees but only if they failed. Teresa knew that WOOHP had several professional prostitutes on retainer to teach the trainees in many different ways of love and sex. By the time Foxfire reached their majority, they would be experts at pleasing their chosen women. Yet Teresa felt that WOOHP was destroying the boys' innocence and ruining their chances for long lasting and meaningful sexual relationships. She'd mentioned this concern to Andre on many occasions and to her surprise he'd agreed. Realizing that her lover was continuing with his answer to her question, Teresa tuned back in. Something he said caught her ears and she gave him a weird look. Andre must've been gazing at her because he answered her expressed question. _

_"I am happy that the leader of Foxfire was assigned to me for training. He's a lump of discarded coal and I get the honor of turning that lump of coal into a beautiful diamond. Foxfire Lead is a true diamond in the rough. I thank god everyday he's mine to train. Natasha doesn't know that assigning him to me was the best that that could happen to either of us.", answered Snowcat One. _

_"Can you elaborate on that?"_

_"An agent once referred to as a lump of coal and becoming the best of the best of all WOOHP assassins now training a new 'diamond in the rough'. Don't you see how ironic that is?"_

_"Come again?"_

_Sterling leered lovingly at his companion and the edge of Teresa's mouth quirked up in a grin. With Sterling, around she sure was going to come again, and again, and again; continuously and repeatedly. _

_"You insatiably evil minx!"_

_"I know I am!!!"_

_**End Flashback**_

Now, as she glanced at her student, Teresa finally realized what Snowcat Leader was talking about as he described the leader of the new assassination team. Closing her eyes and raising her head to look up towards the heavens, Teresa sent a mental prayer to wherever the spirit of her beloved resides and hoped that he could see that the young almost emotionless fourteen year old boy had grown up into a handsome, trustworthy, and effective eighteen year old young man who was an excellent lover and would be a great catch for any woman.

_**"And now I believe he has found the woman D.C. is destined to spend his life with. After all those others he finally finds Ms. Right. ", **__mused Teresa as she continued her observance of the nude young woman in front of her. _

Opening her eyes and giving the young girl a soft smile, Teresa reached down and ruffled Anemone's hair. The startled teen glanced up and into her eyes. Teresa gave her a supportive look.

"Anemone, don't be self-conscious of your body. You're beautiful; far more beautiful than I was at your age. Whoever your boyfriend is, he's lucky to have you. He'd better fight to keep you for as long as possible. Now lets go Siren and Temptress are waiting with your teammates."

Alex nodded and sat down on to slip off her shoes when Seductress told her to keep them on. Alex felt her ire start to rise as her mind took in the safety concerns about wearing high heels around a wet environment. Her protests lodged in her throat as the single eye of her instructor gazed emotionlessly at her and dared her to say anything. Together, the two women went left the bedroom.

Alex walked a step behind Seductress and to her right as they headed down the hallway towards the master bathroom. Fighting a battle to keep her temper from exploding, Alex gazed down at the carpeted floor as she followed the beautiful woman in front of her.

_**"Here I am stark fucking naked and wearing high heels while following my instructor, whom I believe to be a practicing dominatrix in addition to a former assassin for WOOHP. What makes it worse is that in a few minutes, Sam, Clover, and I will be sharing a bath with this woman and her psycho bitch friends. Oh Alex what the fuck have you gotten yourself into and where is your usual fire to fight such demeaning acts like the ones you've experienced. I've turned from a strong young woman into a silly simpering little girl and I can't stand it.", **__thought Alex as Seductress made a turn off the hallway and into a marble bathroom. _

Seductress entered the bathroom she only used when training the best agents and had fond memories of the three weeks Foxfire was here on the island. Every night at least one of Foxfire shared the large marble bathtub with her. Usually it was Foxfire lead but on several occasions it was either of his two teammates. The large alabaster bathtub was big enough to fix up to eight people comfortably with enough room left over for everyone to have a little bit of space. Hearing voices up ahead, Seductress figured that Siren and Temptress were already in the tub with their pupils.

_**"I hope one of them lit the candles in the bathroom and opened the curtains so we can see out of the window.", **__mused Teresa as she pushed open the double doors leading to the tub with a slight difficulty. _

Alex followed Seductress into the bathing area and stopped dead in her tracks. Like her instructor, she too had heard the voices and figured that everyone was already there. Alex wasn't expecting the tableau that awaited her arrival. Although in retrospect she should've been expecting it with all that had assailed her senses since their arrival. Like the suite she was sharing with her friends, the master bathroom on the fourth floor was over the top in a tasteful yet subtle way. With the tall candles in strategic areas around the room flickering and giving off a sweet scent and the gauzy curtains that had been pulled back to reveal a window that spanned the entire length and height of the room and from which the occupants could see the resort on the other part of the island.

The first thing Alex did when she was able to move again was stare in open mouthed fascination at the dimensions of the room itself. The next thing was call out to Clover and Sam who were both seated in the massive tub and wriggling around in some sort of pleasurable way. Clover responded first and Alex was shocked to see the glazed-over expression of satisfaction on her face.

"Oh hi Anemone, we were wondering when you'd arrive.", slurred the shorter girl.

"Come on in and join us Anemone, the water jets in this tub are powerful and relaxing.", added Sam as she moaned in pleasure again.

Alex could only stand and watch her friends. She was snapped out of her daze when Seductress smacked her in the back of the head.

_"Ouch, dammit!"_

"Stop staring! Get over there and help Siren!", ordered the older woman.

Alex was about to protest but she saw the fire in Seductresses' lone eye and went to follow her orders. Turning around and going in the direction indicated by the one-eyed assassin, Alex carefully made her way to the other side of the room. Already in a grumpy mood about her chosen instructor and tired of the humiliation in front of her friends, Alex turned to face the other assassin with the coldest look on her face that she could muster. The cold look disappeared when she saw Siren taking off her prosthetic leg and laying it on a well protected shelf away from the tub.

The retired assassin known as Siren, Isis Tabitha Arsenault, was pissed. Teresa had told her that her student and Carmine's student had assured her that they weren't virgins. Unfortunately, both Aphrodite and Antigone had lied and Seductress didn't know about it at the time. After dinner and when Antigone reported to her suite of rooms on the fourth floor, the tall redhead had sobered up some and confessed that she had lied about that when asked by Seductress. Siren had expected a girl who knew at least something and wouldn't have to be trained as much as Seductress' student. Now she had to start from scratch and train the young girl from the ground up. Needless to say, once Siren finished dishing out Antigone's punishment, the young girl was going to have a hard time sitting down. It was going to be even harder for the tall, full-figured girl with the slightly above average 36C cup breasts to explain the marks that now decorated her neck to her boyfriend if she had one. Looking up at the girl who was to give her a hand into the tub, Siren was caught by the beauty of the young girl and in that moment she understood why Teresa wanted to instruct the one called Anemone. The girl was incredibly beautiful. Out of the corner of her eyes, Siren saw Seductress watching her and gave her an ever so subtle nod.

_**"Seductress sure does know how to pick 'em!",**__ thought the ebony skinned spy._

Across the room, Seductress watched as Anemone helped Belladonna's team sniper climb into the tub. It was a bit awkward at first with Anemone trying to not notice the abrupt cut off just below Siren's left knee. Hearing a noise behind her, Teresa turned around and found Temptress shaking out a match. The light platinum blond answered the question that was expressed by Teresa's eye.

"Yes, the candles are lit and the stereo is keyed up to start when you're ready. Do you think these girls can safely deal with what you've got planned here?", asked Temptress quietly.

"Carmine, they will have to be able to deal with this. Otherwise sending them out after the Tortoise with Foxfire is a sure suicide mission for them.

My job is to get them trained to the point where they actually have a better than fifty percent chance of survival. Even with them teamed up with Foxfire, I still worry. Foxfire lead reminds too much of Snowcat lead. In more ways than one.", returned Teresa just as quietly.

Carmine frowned as she watched her one-eyed friend start making her way across the room towards the tub. Lowering her eyes to Teresa's bare legs as she sensually stalked across the room in all her naked glory and on those heels, Carmine remembered back to when the three of them used to practice seducing each other in this very bathroom while they were undergoing mission or remedial training. More often times than not the pseudo seduction attempts turned real and inevitably, they ended up in bed practicing their more advanced skills of pleasure with each other. Bringing herself back to the present, Temptress shifted her eyes to Seductress' student as she helped Siren into the tub.

_**"That girl has potential. No wonder Teresa wanted to train her herself.", **__thought Temptress. _

Carmine's attitude changed as she gazed at the blond girl already sitting in the tub and gyrating to the pleasurable senses generated by the pulsating water jet. Carmine had taken great joy in breaking Aphrodite's tenacious stubbornness after finding out the girl had lied about her sexual activeness. Carmine hoped that Vixen wouldn't be too put off by the ripped sheets. Aphrodite had sure been a wild one. Putting her thoughts aside, and dropping the spent match into the trashcan, Carmine Jeanette de Gyrfalcon shrugged her shoulders and went to join her friends and their students in the tub.

Alex was in a quandry, here she was standing buck naked and wearing high heels around a massively large bathtub inside of which sat her two attractive friends and three of the most beautiful women she'd ever met in her entire life. Alex's mom was considered extremely attractive but even she couldn't hold a candle to these three women. Their time as assassins had firmed their bodies to the kind of goddess-like perfection that many of the girls at Beverly High only aspired to emulate and in their retirement, it was easy to see that these women still kept in shape (Alex didn't want to know about how they kept in peak shape although the minute signs of stretch marks along Seductress' sides attested to something she would prefer not to think about). Reaching down to again slip off her shoes, Alex halted when the voice of her instructor whipcracked across the room and told her to leave the shoes on. Looking on in consternation, Alex was treated to an astounding site as both Clover and Sam giggled in pleasure and each lifted one leg out of the water to display the heeled shoes they'd worn to dinner. Shrugging her shoulders and praying that the shoes didn't get too damaged, Alex climbed in to the tub.

Besides, she really liked those shoes.

Once she had gotten situated in one of the built in seats of the tub, Alex started to relax a bit as the warm water flowed over her body. The heat from the water worked its magic and the scent of lilacs floated through the room. Alex sighed in relief as the let her major worries drift away. She was doing fine till somebody activated the pulsating water jets in her seat and the soothing pulse splashed directly on her most sensitive folds. Alex yipped in surprise until she realized what was going on. She now knew why Clover and Sam looked so pleased.

Seductress gazed at her charge as she sat with her eyes closed at the water jets did what they were built to do and smirked at Anemone's response. If she felt satisfied now, Anemone was in for an even more erotic surprise when the aphrodisiac molded into the candles began to take effect. Seductress couldn't wait to see Anemone's reaction to that. As with everything that occurred in her mansion, the water jet bubble bath was a test of stamina and endurance. Antigone and Aphrodite had already demonstrated considerable amounts of both. The redhead and the blond had surprised Siren and Temptress respectively as they had held out for quite awhile and that had mollified the two retired assassins after they'd found out that the pair had lied to Seductress about their sexual activeness.

The twenty-six year old instructor used a waterproof control panel built into the side of the tub to activate the stereo system and dim the lights until the low lights complemented the halos of light from the flickering candles. Pressing another button, Seductress programmed the computer controlled stereo to take command of the dim lights and alter their lighting in time with the music as it poured out of the hidden and waterproof speakers. Another switch changed the lights embedded in the bottom of the tub to alter their colors as the music played and outlined the six women from beneath. The effect was a beautiful display of lights and sound that all complemented the relaxed attitude. As their students relaxed further into bliss, the members of Belladonna observed and learned many things about their charges. Not doing anything but listening to the chatter of Ice Dancer except when asked a direct question or requested to contribute to the discussion, the three assassins silently communed in their fellowship from times past.

When Seductress was reasonably sure that Anemone, Antigone, and Aphrodite had been lulled deep enough into a sense of ease, she caught the eyes of her two friends and shifted her eyes at the lone switch that had yet to be flipped. Siren and Temptress nodded and waited for what was sure to happen. Before the disastrous rescue mission gone awry, Belladonna had been caught out almost every time they'd been in the tub and that switch was flipped. Even when they were expecting it, it still caught them by surprise.

Seductress lifted a hand out of the water and reached over to activate the extra special feature designed into the tub and goaded herself for what was coming. Impressed with Anemone's stamina so far, Seductress expected Anemone's reaction to this to be nothing short of spectacular. The one-eyed assassin flipped the switch.

Alex had been impressed by everything going on in the tub and was at the moment listening in to Clover and Sam's chatter as she relaxed and had completely forgotten about the other women in the tub. The feeling of the water jet against her insides had done things to her that had to be experienced to be believed. The teen felt her body at first rebel at the invasion but then it accepted it and the steady pulses calmed her even more. In the back of Alex's mind she felt something slowly starting to build within her but her internal controls clamped down on it and shunted it aside for the moment. Opening her eyes and drawing herself back into the conversation, Alex allowed a small grin to lift her lips in a semi-smile. Alex asked Clover if she was missing Sean at this moment.

"Oh yeah, I'm missing him and wishing he was here enjoying this with me. The things we could do in a tub this size and with a sound system like this. I've already convinced myself to find out who designed and built this tub and see if they can have one installed at our house.", replied a breathless Clover with eyes glazed over with satisfaction and excitement.

Alex ignored the breathless part of Clover's response and grinned. She knew that Clover was always this expressive when she was excited and that made Alex feel considerably calmer. Turning to the equally breathless Sam, Alex saw that no matter what she asked, Sam was too breathless to speak as she continued to wriggle in time with the pulses of the water jet. At the moment the lights buried in the bottom of the tub shifted from a soft red to an electric blue and the bubbles dispersed enough to see to the bottom of the tub and the actual water jets. Alex wasn't too surprised to find out that the nozzle for the jets of water could be moved to pulse anywhere on her body as she saw Sam move the little handheld nozzle closer to the wisp of bright red that defined her sex. Again Alex felt her build up of ……something… but again she pushed it down.

At that precise moment, the candle wax melted and the scented aphrodisiacs molded into the tall tapers floated out into the enclosed room and started acting on its occupants. At the same time, the music changed from something slow and stimulating to something even more sexually charged and the pulsating water jets acted according to their programming. The jets went from a steady pulsating to random pulsations in time with the slow beat of the music as directed by the program activated when Seductress flipped that last switch.

Two reactions were textbook and had been expected: Sam and Clover broke into simultaneous screams and moans of pleasure as they reached their sensual climax and shuddered in pleasure. Both the blond and the redhead visibly wilted as the pleasure waves hit them till they waned. Once those waves receded to a more manageable level, Clover and Sam collapsed in on themselves with smiles of satisfaction racing across their features.

The third reaction was expected but not to the extent that they witnessed.

Alex watched with her eyes wide open as Clover and Sam reached their peak and their essence exploded from the extra stimulation. She knew what had happened to her friends but was at a loss to explain the magnitude of their climax. Curious at what had caused the reaction, Alex again felt the same feeling that had been pushing on her subconsicousness and this time it was even stronger than had ever been before. The teen started to squirm and fight the unknown pressure build up and for awhile she fought bravely. When Sam and Clover's sexual musk permeated the room, the repressed pressure within Alex expanded exponentially, she had to fight harder and her squirming and wriggling took on a new intensity. Seductress, Siren, and Temptress watched with rapt attention as they fought their own rising climaxes. The training they'd undergone over the years helped them to remain in control but only just.

Alex looked franticly about at she gripped the side of the tub with a Herculean effort that was doomed to fail. Closing her eyes and trying to reassert her control, Alex gritted her teeth as her breath exploded out in short gasps. She could hear her own moans in counterpoint to the moans from her friends and Alex threw her head back and bit her lip to quell her traitorous body. Opening her eyes to mere slits, Alex looked across the tub and saw that the three instructors were looking at her in anticipation. When she saw the look in Seductresses sole eye, Alex instinctively knew who was doing this to her and her friends and tried to snarl through gritted teeth. Alex attempted to curse and opened her mouth to form the words when another wave of passion hit and her curses of outrage were turned into a loud shriek of pleasure.

Gasping for breath and still fighting to quell the pressure of her climax, Alex pulled her hands away from the sides of the tub with an effort and attempted to hurl herself at the woman responsible for her affliction. The pressure quadrupled in its intensity as Alex moved and attempted to jam her feet against the tub bottom to get a foothold but again Alex had underestimated her instructor as the heel of her shoe made contact with the granite and the pleasurable vibrations traveled through her system and dropped Alex back into her seat, this time with her legs slightly spread and her most sensitive nub open to the new sensations flowing through the water. Grinding her teeth and attempting to rise to her feet again, Alex shifted her weight. Just as she started to rise, the stimulating music hit a crescendo and three things happened.

The lights changed from a soft green to a crisp white in response.

The computer program upped the pulses of water and slowed their speed.

The jet of water hit Alex's clitoris as the pressure changed yet again.

Alex felt the sexual pressure build up increase tenfold and knew instinctively there was no stopping her sensual explosion. Closing her eyes and regripping the side of the tub, Alex faced her climax. As it started to hit, her dark eyes jerked open and flashed a message to her instructor.

_**"You Bitch!"**_

Then the pressure Alex attempted to contain exploded with a force never before seen.

The flashing dark eyes in the pretty brown face rolled back into her head. Alex's mouth opened into a long drawn out scream of just released pleasure as her body was wracked by its release. Alex's body convulsed uncontrollably and her six senses went into overload with all the pleasurable feelings now roaring through her five foot nine inch frame and petite form. Her knees, more used to the adrenalin rush from soccer, buckled and Alex sagged towards the water. The girl managed to limply toss her shuddering and jolting body enough to take a weak hold on the side of the tub.

Still shuddering with the aftershocks, she threw her head back as another scream was ripped from her throat.

_"Oh, My GAAAAAWDDDDD!!!", screamed Alex in a never before felt sense of ecstasy._

The brightly lit water clouded as Alex's essence gushed out and mingled with those of her friends. The smell of female musk already in the air intensified as Alex's scent vied with those of Clover and Sam. The fans in the room circulated the scent of arousal and it wafted into Alex's nose. That caused Alex's already overloaded senses to lift the eighteen year old to a second climactic peak within seconds and Alex felt her knees weaken again and slump into her seat as a second pleasurable wave of arousal flowed through her. Again she screamed in ecstasy and bucked with the hydrostatic pleasure waves flowing through her body.

Around the tub, the sight and smell of Alex's climax sent Clover and Sam into the stratosphere of ecstasy again. The pair was already tired from their earlier exertions (both in the rooms of their respective instructors and in the tub) that they gave into the sensations with no conscious thought. They just flowed with their bodies' natural tendency and enjoyed the pleasure ride. The pair of sexually dazed girls shifted their attention from their friend who was locked in another wave of arousal to the instructors sharing the tub with them.

Siren, Temptress, and Seductress sat and continued to fight their own arousal and knew that they were only seconds away. But they could not take their transfixed eyes off the young student as she shuddered through a third, fourth, and fifth climax in response to the second releases of her friends. Siren turned to Seductress with a glazed look on her face and mouthed something. Before Seductress could ask for a clarification the dark skinned woman gave in to her own need and started to shudder in a manner similar to that of Anemone.

Seductress fought the smile that threatened to spill out on her face as Temptress followed suit and allowed her own release to hit and overcome her own training. As she shuddered through the first stage of her explosion of ecstasy, the platinum blond turned to her one-eyed friend and opened her mouth to speak.

_"You were always…gasp….able to hold…gasp ….out the longest, Teresa. I…envy…you.",_ Carmine breathlessly gasped out.

Teresa started to reply when she saw Carmine's eyes roll up into her head and her shuddering increase. The glazed look of satisfaction appeared and Seductress heard the breathless giggles coming from her friend. Returning her attention to her student, Teresa saw that Anemone was climaxing again and mentally tallied it up. As she did so, Teresa felt her own control loosen and knew that her own explosion of ecstasy was coming. Before she could even start the tally, Countess Teresa de Aquitaine; the Seductress of WOOHP, lost herself in the flow of passion that enveloped her and took over her body. Surrendering to the inevitable, Seductress had only one though in her mind.

_**"That girl has a sexual power within her that she's not even aware of. Dominic, I hope you know that you have a true diamond in your life. You will not believe the erotic power your chosen one has. I believe that your intimate life is going to take a new turn. I just hope you have the stamina to keep up with her.", **__thought Seductress as she allowed a higher control to take over her body and felt the first convulses of her release as her essence spilled out and mingled in the tub with the sexual essence of the other five women in the throes of ecstasy._

Before her mind shut down to allow her baser instincts to take over, Teresa wondered two things. First, did her surveillance system catch this on tape and second, should she fill a vial with Anemone's essence as it leaked down her leg and give it to Foxfire lead to show him what the love of his life is capable of. Her questions remained unanswered as she slipped into the light doze of the satiated.

Half an hour later, the six women were regaining their mental faculties and awareness. An exhausted Alex gazed over at the other five occupants and a weary smile graced her face. Clover and Sam looked at her with dazed awe and a new found respect. Sam spoke as she saw that Alex was watching them.

"My god Anemone; that was the most intense experience I've ever had. I did not know that you'd repressed your response to sensual stimulation to that extent. Damn girl that was unexpected.", stated Sam with a still legible slur to her words that was lessening as her mind started to work rationally again.

The pair heard a groan and seconds afterwards, Clover lifted her head up and gave her two friends a wry smile. Alex acknowledged the grin and turned to face her instructor. She was prepared to accept any punishment necessary for failing this exam but she wasn't expecting to see that familiar lone eye glinting in humor as she recovered.

"Anemone, don't hold yourself in like that again. It's not natural and it clouds your judgment in our line of work.", stated Seductress as she felt the full recovery of her abilities.

"I apologize for failing this exam, mistress.", said Alex with a bowed head and a resigned tone to her voice.

Seductress, Siren, and Temptress glanced at each other with incredulous looks. This girl had an orgasm that lasted that long and here she was apologizing for failing a test. What was with her? Seductress sighed and shook her head. This was something new.

"Anemone, you didn't fail this test. You actually passed it. This test was a stamina and endurance test. You lasted pretty long before giving in to your body's basic instinct. There is nothing you need to be disappointed about."

"But… but… but!!!!!", stammered Alex in confusion.

"This was to see how long you'd last under certain…stimulations. For your upcoming mission with Foxfire, it is a skill you will need in extremis. It's that difficult a mission. Now you can take those shoes off Anemone.", stated Seductress as she turned to the other two members of Ice Dancer.

Clover and Sam had regained most of their faculties and were able to follow the conversation. When they heard Seductress give Alex the go ahead to take off her heeled shoes and then saw the one-eyed instructor start to turn in their direction, they wasted no time in undoing the straps on their heels and yanking off their own shoes. Clover grimaced as she saw the water damage done to what she knew was a very expensive shoe. She was about to protest when Siren told her not to worry about them.

"Seductress will take care of them. You're get them back at the end of your training. Now pay attention it's briefing time."

Teresa waited till she had the undivided attention of Anemone, Antigone, and Aphrodite. Their rapt and serious expressions signaling that they were ready to find out what this was about. Seductress rose to her feet and climbed out of the tub and reached behind the leftmost curtain stay and pressed a hidden button. The window immediately went opaque and the girls couldn't see out of it. Curious looks passed between the three teens until a projector screen whirred silently down in front of the window. In the near complete darkness, Alex, Sam, and Clover sat in the cooling water from the tub and waited for what was coming next.

A light flashed on and the picture of a extremely handsome man in his early forties appeared on the screen.

"Anemone, Antigone, Aphrodite this is the primary target. His name is unknown to our organization so J-dawg assigned him the codename 'Tortoise'. The Tortoise is an extremely wealthy arms dealer who is reputed to be worth several billon dollars."

Clover cut in quietly, much to Seductresses' annoyance.

"I like him already!"

A loud slap rang throughout the room soon followed by Clover cursing in pain. She was about to complain when a familiar click was heard.

"Aphrodite, it would behoove you to shut the hell up otherwise your instructor will punish you severely. Now if I may continue.", Seductress said idly.

"Yes mistress.", replied Clover weakly.

"Good. Back to the briefing, as I was saying; the Tortoise is worth a lot of money. Recently this gentleman has come into possession of one of our organizations 'special' packages. You do not need to know what kind of package it is. You just need to know that there is a package. Your job, ladies is to retrieve this package and return it to WOOHP. Any questions so far?"

Sam raised a hand.

"Go ahead, Antigone."

"Pardon my ignorance milady, but why all the training to just retrieve a package and why are we teaming up with this other team?", asked Sam.

"Because Antigone, The Tortoise has this package well-hidden and we don't know where it is. As for your question relating to Foxfire, the answer will become apparent soon enough, back to the briefing. What WOOHP does know is that Tortoise came out of hiding soon after he got his hands on the package. How he got it, we don't know but we do know that in eight months in Monaco, Tortoise is offering the package for sale to the highest bidder and there is a lot of interest in that package. The latest reports we've hacked from our sister agency, Global Justice' is that the bidding war has started and has already reached into the hundreds of millions of dollars. We can't confirm much because as soon as he announced the auction and started the bidding, Tortoise crawled back into his shell and we can't get him."

"Why is Tortoise in hiding, ma'am?", asked Clover still reeling from the lightning quick slap that had ricocheted across her face.

"Because, Aphrodite, a couple of years ago WOOHP sicced the best team of assassins after his boss. They succeeded in killing his employer but missed Tortoise because the lucky sonuvabitch was late leaving the home of his latest mistress after a dalliance. Upon finding out about what happened and knowing that there would be a battle for control of his employers' empire, Tortoise killed off all of his competitors and took control. He then launched an offensive against our organization and infiltrated a mole into the DILJO Division and found out the identities of the team. Once he found out the identity of the assassination team he kidnapped the team leader and his lover. The other team members initiated a rescue but were killed in the line of duty. The leader of the team was executed with a single shot to the back of his head while he kneeled aboard Tortoises' yacht as his lover watched. Since then our organization has had a 'Shoot on site' termination order out on him but the bastard disappeared. Your job, in addition to recovering the package, is to assist Foxfire in assassinating this menace and his entire organization by any means possible.", finished Seductress with a glare.

There was a stiff silence from Alex and her friends.

"If you haven't figured it out yet, Ice Dancer, your secondary job is to kill this slimy sonuvabitch! Kill him dead! For your safety, the actual assassination will be attempted by Foxfire and you will confirm Tortoises' death. And when I say confirm, I mean you have to actually see him go down in person. If Foxfire goes down in the course of this mission, then assassinating this piece of scum becomes your primary objective. It doesn't matter who offs this bastard but by the end of this mission WOOHP, and J-dawg in particular, want this man to become worm food."

"Once our target has been eliminated, what are we to do with the body.", asked Alex.

Seductress smothered a smile as she heard the intensity in her student's voice. She knew that Anemone was ready to get this job done as quickly and cleanly as possible.

_**"Just you wait Anemone, you'll soon learn what kind of horror this man can inflict.", **__thought Seductress___

"WOOHP doesn't care what happens to his corpse. We just want the murdering bastard dead.", answered Seductress.

Next to Alex, Sam was again getting a real bad feeling about this mission. There was something not quite right about how their head instructor was speaking. Wanting a bit of clarification on the target, she raised her hand again.

"What is our justification for assassinating this man? Why not bring him in for trial?"

Seductress glared at Antigone but the girl stood up to the penetrating glare of her single eye. She was about to step over and wipe the determined look off of Antigone's face for questioning orderswhen Siren quietly spoke up.

"Tell her what Tortoise did to the team leaders girlfriend and the others who participated in the rescue attempt. They have a need to know that at least and if they're smart enough they'll figure it out soon enough if they haven't already.", murmured Isis.

Teresa gritted her teeth and squeezed the remote in her hand till it almost broke. When she spoke it was in a graveyard whisper.

"So you want to know what happened to those who assisted in the rescue attempt, okay, I'll tell you. Tortoise didn't only execute Snowcat Leader in front of his lover; he cut her eye out with a knife after torturing both of them to their limits. He and his men raped and cut off the hand of another rescuer who ended up surrounded by his thugs after crashing her parachute through the glass ceiling of his yacht's saloon. The fourth member of the rescue team had her leg cut off by a fusillade of bullets from the Tortoises' men as she tried to drag her wounded friend to safety. "

A thought that had been lurking in the murky recesses of Alex's mind suddenly blazed into sudden crystal clear comprehension for her. It took her a moment to put things together. And when it did, Alex shuddered so violently that her friends became afraid for her well being. They stopped when they heard Alex whisper to herself.

_"You, Seductress. You're the one whose eye he cut out. You were the lover of Snowcat's team leader. You were there. Then that means that…..", _whispered Alexas the ramifications of what'd just realized became clear.

Seductress didn't allow her pride to show as she nodded her confirmation at her student's masterful deduction. However, Antigone and Aphrodite didn't understand and were clamoring for clarification. Their voices started to rise and Seductress thought for sure she was going to have to shut them up when Anemone's voice whipcracked at her team mates.

"Clover, Sam; _Shut the Fuck Up!!!", _

Seductress was too astonished at the venom in Anemone's voice to even catch her slip of the tongue as she referred to her friends by their real names. Aphrodite quieted, hurt by the anger shown and sulked. Antigone, to her credit, went on the offensive and yelled back.

_"Gawddammit Alex. I will not shut up until you explain to me what is wrong with you! Swearing at us is so unlike you, what is your fuckin' problem, bitch!?"_

Alex's chest heaved in anger as she cursed her stupidity for not seeing it earlier. The way their instructors acted at dinner, the way they girls had been treated. She whirled on her two friends like a tornado.

"Don't you get it yet, Antigone? Our instructors, Siren, Temptress, and Seductress were there at the rescue attempt. They were the ones who got hurt. Oh damnitalltohell!!", cursed Alex as she turned back to her instructor.

"Take off your eye patch, Seductress!", screamed Alex.

Seductress thought for a moment then lifted the eye patch from her left eye and showed her student the sewn together eyelid. Alex gasped in fright and turned to Siren. Siren gestured to the stump where her leg had been amputated by the bullets that stuck her and Alex's eyes went to the shelf where the prosthetic lay. Temptress took off the waterproof glove covering her own prosthesis and held it up. Alex remembered what else had happened, and collapsed back in to the tub in fear. Clover and Sam looked at their friend then at Seductress. The one eyed instructor gestured and explained what happened.

"This is where The Tortoise cut out my eye as I kneeled on the deck of his yacht with my hands tied behind my back. I watched him shoot the man I loved in the back of his head from less than two feet away. Some of his blood splashed on my shirt as the bullet exited his head through the left eye. Siren lost her leg as she pulled me to safety after the execution of Snowcat One. She took several rounds from an AK-47 through the leg. The bullets just cut her leg off right there. After she and Siren got separated from each other, Temptress stumbled into a cabin and was captured by two of Tortoises bodyguards. They dragged her to the bastard and he proceeded to rape her in front of his men. Once he was finished, he threw her to his bodyguards and they raped her as well. When they were finished, they left her for dead. Siren and I brutally killed over half of the bastard's bodyguards but he and his elite escaped before WOOHP could catch him. The worse thing about it was when Natasha arrived with the backup team; the only ones left on the yacht were us, the bodies of all three members of Snowcat, and the bodies of the criminals we'd killed. Now do you see what Anemone was trying to tell you?", Seductress asked quietly as Antigone and Aphrodite turned white as the horrors were described.

Sam watched with an ashen face as Clover jumped out of the tub and ran towards the toilet. Within seconds the sound of her retching could be heard. When she finished, there was a cold look in her eyes. Sam knew that there was a matching one in her own green orbs. The two turned to Alex, who'd struggled to her feet and they were shocked at what they saw.

Alex's soft grey irises had gone flat. Her eyes had gone so flat they looked like chips of grey granite.

And they promised death to any who got in the way of her justice.

Seductress glanced at the others members of Belladonna and nodded approvingly. This was what they needed from their students: A cohesiveness that could match and amplify the cohesiveness of Foxfire. She was about to continue with the briefing when Anemone asked in a graveyard voice.

"What reason does Foxfire have about participating in this mission?"

"Foxfire has more of a reason to succeed in this mission than you do. Snowcat trained Foxfire and were their closest friends when they first were recruited. When Trigger Zero informed them of this mission, they were ready to go right then and there. They feel as if they don't need your assistance and would prefer it if you were working backup. The boss nipped that in the bud and now the six of you will be working together on this mission. Just remember; the guys of Foxfire are the assassins. You three are to retrieve the package and confirm the death of the target. That is all. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am", three voices replied as one.

"Good, now I can continue with the briefing and detail how the six of you are pull of this mission. First off, the three of you and the three guys from Foxfire will be made to look older. As you saw by his picture, Tortoise looks to be in his early to mid forties. We don't know his true age because the bastard is extremely secretive. The six of you will be made to look like you're close to his age. We can't have you looking like teenagers on a mission this important. Our computer has analyzed your bone structure, facial features, body frame, and other necessary measurements and has come up with what you'll look like when you finally get to meet the Tortoise in person."

Seductress pressed another button on her remote and the screen split in to three to show what the computer had come up with. There were gasps around the room as computer renderings of Alex, Sam, and Clover wearing their dinner dresses appeared on the screen.

Alex gazed at her image and saw that according to the measurements listed beneath her image, she was going to gain another inch or two in height and maybe another forty pounds. The forty pounds was going to make her fuller figured as well. But the biggest change was in her face. The face that looked down at her was hers but more angular and without the baby plumpness that presently plagued her. As a side note, Alex also saw that her breasts were going to get bigger. In short, Alex was going to look like a dream walking.

Glancing at the representations of Clover and Sam, Alex saw that all three of them were going to have longer hair (with Sam's reaching nearly to her ass) and that Clover was going to be fuller figured. Sam's representation showed that Sam was going to lose a bit of her full figure but was going to more than make it up in the bust size. It looked as if Sam was gonna go from a 36C cup to almost a D cup. Alex shook her head and brought herself back to the present when she realized Seductress was calling her.

"Anemone, during this mission you will play a special part. So in order to fit in with that part, I need you to start letting your hair grow now. In eight months, it needs to be at least the length of Antigone's hair at the present time. Oh yeah, one more thing. Anemone, what's your ring size?"

It had been a week and a half of hard training on the island under the tutelage of Belladonna. Alex, Sam, and Clover, already fit due to their lifestyle had gotten fitter and firmer. Everyone at school was noticing the girls even more so than usual. The popularity polls were steadily swinging in Clover's favor but more and more people, especially boys, were beginning to notice the star player of the women's soccer team. Alex was getting more and more male admirers who'd looked past her attractiveness before. Alex realized that she liked being noticed. In fact several of the guys had asked her out but she'd steadfastly refused them and reiterated that she was no longer on the market.

Some of the more determined of her fans had ignored her rebuffs and occasionally ended up having a quiet little chat with either Tommy Kurtzmann or Sean Lyons, captain of the football team and best friend and roommate to Alex's boyfriend. Dominic knew what was going on but he didn't particular care and was enthused that Alex kept turning others down and insisting that she was his. Their relationship began to blossom even more and people began speculating about the status of their intimate relationship. Usually those who asked were politely rebuffed. If they kept up, the rebuffed even firmer. After the first or second warnings most got the idea that neither D.C. nor Alex were going to spill anything about that facet of their relationship and everything was hunky dory. As usual, there is always the one person who screws up a good thing. This one guy didn't get the hints and continued in his pursuit of Alex. One afternoon, he had a violent meeting with a locker in the gym. When no one owned up to the attack that left the poor bum with a broken nose, he reluctantly ceased his pursuit (much to the relief of his friends).

At the moment it was lunch time at Bev High and D.C. was kickin' back with a forty ounce bottle of Mountain Dew Code Red. His duffle bag sat on the floor next to their table. He was laughing at a joke that J.T. had just finished relating to him when his cell phone rang. Placing the bottle on the table and grabbing his phone from the clip on belt holster he usually kept the little flip phone on when it wasn't being used, Dominic checked the caller ID to see who it was. On the other side of the table Sean looked up from his lunch (deep dish pizza this time) when he caught D.C.'s lifted eyebrow.

"Well I'll be dammed, it's Slick! What the hell is he calling me for?", questioned D.C. as he flipped the phone open and put it against his ear.

Justin sniggered; it was a well known and documented fact that Dominic absolutely abhorred the Bluetooth wireless headset that Alex had purchased for him the other day. Alex didn't appreciate it when Dominic had to use his hands to answer his cell when they could be put to a much better use in holding her. The slight argument about the gift had ended when Alex had called Dominic an unrelenting caveman and D.C. retaliating by calling Alex a faux materialistic pain in the neck. An hour later the traded barbs had been forgotten as Justin caught the couple sneaking away from lunch for a make out session in Dominic's car. Justin remembered the looks of pure malevolence he'd received from both when he'd come casually strolling by and snapped a picture with his trusty pocket digital camera. Needless to say, Alex and Dominic weren't amused when a printed copy of the photo had somehow made its way onto the wall at both the spies' villa and the house the guys stayed at. Now Clover, Sam, and Sean knew that Alex had a penchant for very racy strapless bras and Dominic had very nimble fingers.

"Answer the phone and see what he wants knucklehead. Then you'd probably find out what he's calling for.", Sean shot back with a humorous snort.

Justin watched as Dominic showed Sean that he was number one in his book with a solemnly extended middle finger. The grin on his friends face told Sean that D.C. didn't mean it. He returned the gesture with one of his own and went back to eating. Dominic laughed again and answered the call.

"Yo Slick, what's the happs? How's the 'Lil Homie'? He's doing fine. Cool man cool. How's Red doing? She's fine, that's good. And you're right, Red is damn fine. Hope you haven't pissed her off lately. I still remember what happened last time you pissed her off. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty. How are greenie and old blue-face? You're kidding, greenie had a baby!! Congratulations for her. I bet old blue face was tickled pink about it. Have they caused you guys any problems as of late? No, that's good. What about the other's? Ah, everyone is laying low while blue-face and greenie celebrate. That's good. So what made you decide to call outta the blue? Blaze, Ghost, and I are at school eating lunch right now. Slick, you'd be jealous if you came here for a visit. Our café is better than you can imagine.", answered Dominic as he leaned back in his seat.

Sean and Justin had seen the girls and were waving them over as Dominic listened to the familiar voice on the other end of the line. Standing up with his friends as Sam, Clover, and Alex approached (and ignoring Alex's perturbed gaze as she saw that his hands were busy) D.C. captured the phone between his ear and his shoulder and hugged Alex before placing a light kiss on the tip of her nose. Returning to his seat and pulling Alex down with him and situating her on his lap, Dominic continued his conversation. He lifted an eyebrow and a grin came across his face as Slick got around to the main point for his call.

"You're kidding, you and Red want us to attend y'alls homecoming game and dance next week? You're the starting running back. Cool. We'll have to see how our schedules work out and try and be there. We may miss the start of the game but we'll be there. Red's the Homecoming Queen, nice and let me guess you got elected Homecoming King. Congratulations for both of you. How's your 1050 running? Good. We'll bring ours and make it a reunion trip. Oh yeah, the guys and I will be bringing some companions along. Yeah we did. Diva will be disappointed but in the end she'll be happy for me once she meets her. Alright, we'll see you there. Did you get Red her leathers? You did, oh you naughty boy you. Hopefully her parents haven't found out or you'd be in deep trouble. Well the guys and I will have to go shopping soon. Our gf's will probably drag us out to the mall anyway. Yeah, we have to rent an SUV when we take them shopping, they buy so much stuff. Tell you what, since you're inviting us to your homecoming game and dance, why don't you come to ours. You know us, we're on the West Coast so we gonna do it in style. Ghost is the starting QB and he's dating the head cheerleader. Sounds familiar doesn't it. When you come, bring Red and Lil Homie. We gotcha faded on stuff that you'll need out here. Just bring your bike. Okay, talk to you later Slick, I'm kind of slightly neglecting somebody and she's getting angry. Stay up playa, talk to you later.", finished up Dominic as he flipped his phone shut.

Turning to his buddies and their respective girlfriends, he saw that Sean and J.T. were grinning. They had heard enough of D.C.'s side of the conversation to get the gist of the call. Justin spoke first as he held Sam when she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"So Slick is inviting us to Red and his Homecoming game and dance. And he wants us to bring the bikes, ne?", asked J.T.

"Yep, he's already got the tickets bought and is renting a hotel room for us. So all we have to bring are our own dates, our party clothes, and our bikes. He wants to make it kind of like a reunion.", answered D.C.

"Cool, we can do that. I'll talk to da boss and see about getting that time off.", stated Sean.

Dominic nodded before turning to Alex and asking her if she and her friends wanted to go. Of course the girls all said yes and Alex was really interested about whomever this 'diva' was D.C. had mentioned. If this 'diva' had some feelings for D.C. still, Alex was just going to have to disabuse her of the notion. Dominic saw Alex's eyes as they flashed and hurriedly went to head off the questions he knew were coming.

"Okay, before my darling Alex gets pissed, I'll tell you who Slick, Red, Lil Homie, and Diva are. Slick is a good friend of ours; we met him and his girlfriend near the end of the last school year while we were working. He rides a bike like us and loves to chill out. He's around our same age and is a pretty good guy when you get to know him. Red is Slick's girlfriend and you won't find a more perfectly matched couple than Slick and Red. They've known each other for years and just recently realized their feelings for each other. Lil Homie is Slick's pet. He's a naked mole rat and is cool in his own way. Diva is one of Red's best friends. She and I had a couple of dates while we were there. Well Slick just invited us to his homecoming game and dance. One thing though, we'll be visiting a smaller city and you'll have to try not to show Red and her friends a sense of superiority, so no fancy and expensive dresses, k?"

Clover was about to protest when Sam trounced on her foot and Alex shot her an evil glare. Sam spoke up when the moment had passed.

"Okay, D.C., we're in. When do we leave?"

"Friday after next, Sam is when we'll leave. If I can swing it, I'll get Slick to supply us with his girlfriend's sizes and you can find her a dress. I think Red and Slick will appreciate the gesture. One more thing, I invited Slick and Red to our homecoming game and dance the following week. When they arrive I would like the three of you to take her out on the town."

Sam nodded at Dominics' kindness as he continued talking the visit from their fried and was glad that by then her, Alex, and Clover would be finished with their training on the island. At least once it was finished; Sam could put some of her memories of the training in a nice safe private corner of her mind and keep Justin from finding out about them. Their actions from this morning would definitely go in that box.

_**"This time we woke up in our rooms, naked and curiously well-rested again. Only this time the Seductress was in my bed, Siren was in Alex's bed, and Temptress was in Clover's bed. What is going on during those hours I'm asleep. I thought it was unnerving those first few mornings when we woke up with our instructors all in the same bed." , **__thought Sam as she leaned her head against Justin's shoulder. _

Like Sam, Alex was thinking about this morning, however, Alex was thinking more about the workout she received as a punishment for some sort of slight she'd inadvertently muttered to herself. Her butt was still sore from that and she was hoping Dominic wouldn't noticed how pleasingly uncomfortable it was for her as she squirmed around on D.C.'s lap. Alex couldn't help but feel what her wriggling was doing for Dominic but she was happy he was trying to play it off.

_**"Dammit, Temptress why'd you have to use the paddle on me, that hurt dammit!!! Training us that pain could be a pleasure in some circumstances. Bah, I think she just wanted to see how I'd react to that stimulus. Oh this training is getting on my nerves. Granted, it is giving me ideas when I decide to seduce D.C. At least I'm getting a great body from some of the more 'strenuous' training. Thank you Seductress for 'suggesting' I start wearing those one-piece body suits she prefers. They're stylish enough to wear by themselves and they can be coordinated with anything in my closet.", **__reconciled Alex mentally as she thought about the dresser drawer full of the bodysuits she'd been almost forced to buy. _

Alex also thought about the several bodysuits that were in the washer at their villa, but squelched the thoughts about what caused them to be dirty. Unlike Clover and Sam, Alex was still nervous about the sensual power her body had. Whereas Clover and Sam reveled in their new sensuality and often tried new seduction techniques on Sean and J.T. while they were at school-much to Mandy's increasing ire-Alex kept what she learned to herself. There would be a time and a-more private-place for those acts later.

While Alex was thinking those poisonous-yet alluring-thoughts, Dominic was mentally frowning as he felt her wriggle around. Granted it was pleasurable and quite enjoyable (the fact that it was having a strong reaction from him was a definite bonus), it struck him as somewhat familiar and he was trying to figure out where he had seen that kind of squirming before. It was on the brink of his recollection when he felt Alex suddenly stiffen up and halt her movements. Concerned, Dominic leaned his head down and questioned Alex about her actions. Before he could ask, Alex stiffly turned around and grabbed his head and pulled him down to where she could mutter into his ear.

"D.C., please tell me you have a jacket or sweater on you, I need to borrow it right _**now**_!", exclaimed Alex quietly.

"Yeah, I have my sweater but why do you need it now?", asked a curious D.C.

"Don't ask, just gimme your _**fucking **_sweater. I have a slight problem and I'd rather not the entire student body find out, okay"

Dominic was about out to ask what kind of problem it was when he suddenly became aware of a musk-like smell wafting into the air and a damp spot on his jeans was readily becoming apparent. D.C.'s eyebrows lifted up in an expression of perturbed realization as he saw the sheepish and demure look on Alex's face.

"Aw damn, Alex again? What's been going on? Ever since last week, this has been happening. You told me then that you were alright and you're just reacting to a new change in your life. But this is the seventh time since then and the second time this week this has happened. At least the other time you were in the locker room after P.E. If Sam hadn't told me about it later that day I wouldn't have known.", griped D.C. (although he was secretly delighted that he could bring out that reaction in her by just his proximity. He correctly guessed that if he mentioned that little tidbit of information, he'd been in pain for a couple of hours).

"_Thanks a lot Sam!_ For passing that information on when you _**should've**_ kept it to yourself. And y'all talk about me being a loudmouth.", bristled Alex as she cast a baleful look in the direction of her red-headed friend.

D.C. shook his head at the hostility evident in his girlfriend's voice as she quietly berated Sam and Clover for their lapse in spilling confidential friendship information. Dominic just considered it a feminine variation on the code of Brotherhood and Wingmanship he and his buddies shared. Bringing his attention back as Alex again grabbed his head and whispered in his ear, Dominic listened to what she had to say. Deciding on the spot that there was a way he could deal with this, D.C. grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her up as he stood. Alex was shocked but grateful that he kept his body interspaced between her and the rest of the cafeteria occupants. She was more shocked when D.C. told their friends that they were leaving to take care of this 'problem'. Dominic also asked the group to pick up their homework assignments and bring them home. Clover and Sam tried to protest but they were overridden by Justin's '_Okay amigo' _as D.C. and Alex left the lunchroom with D.C.'s favorite sweater tied around her waist to hide what they knew was there.

Clover tried to turn on Sean and berate him for his highhandedness but he held up a finger and waited for the familiar sound that would signify it was safe to talk. Soon the sound of the abuse suffered by a set of new 18 inch Kumho ECSTA ASX tires over the roar of a twin-turbo charged 2.5 liter six cylinder engine of a right hand drive Mitsubishi FTO became readily apparent as Dominic put his boot to it. Within seconds after pulling out of the student parking lot, Sean and J.T. could hear it each time D.C. changed a gear as the tires chirped to protest the abuse. When the music to his ears faded, Sean finally allowed Clover to cuss him out. As she did, Sean caught the big grin on Tommy Kurtzmann's face and subtle thumbs up as he recognized the sound of abused tires. Even Mandy (sitting next to Tommy but out of Clover's line of sight) grinned. Sean didn't know if Mandy's grin was for the abuse being heaped on Sean by her rival or the fading sound of abused tires. When Clover ran out of steam, Sean took her in his arms and held her close.

"Don't worry Clover. D.C. knows what he's doing. He's going to try and help her. However I suggest you tread quietly around the house when you make it home.", commented Sean.

He stifled Clover's protest with a kiss as she realized what he meant.

A few hours later, Sam and Clover (having left their boyfriends at school after cheerleading, football practice, and basketball tryouts) quietly made their way through their villa upstairs to Alex's room. At the top of the steps, the familiar smell of arousal faintly permeated the second floor. As they moved closer to their friends' room, the scent increased in strength. When they quietly edged open the door, Sam and Clover were greeted with an amusing if somewhat romantic sight.

Dominic and Alex were still fully clothed (somewhat) and asleep in Alex's bed.

Clover gagged as the intense scent of Alex's arousal filled the room. With the window closed and nowhere to go, the smell just hung in the air, almost visible in its strength. The blonde turned to Sam in order to ask her what happened when the red head pointed to a pair of discarded panties carelessly tossed on the floor and then shifted her finger to where, Alex's bodysuit had been unsnapped to allow access to her center. Clover quickly caught on and took note of the satisfied grin on Alex's face as she nuzzled closer to a shoeless (but otherwise fully clothed) D.C. The sunlight coming through the window glinted off the evidence of Alex's essence as it dried around his mouth. Backing out of the room and quietly closing the door, Sam and Clover made their way back downstairs; opening windows the entire way to dispel the scent of feminine climax in case any friends of theirs stopped by. Two hours later, a yawning Dominic came downstairs followed by a giggling Alex as they talked about some subject or another. Both stopped as they entered the living room where Sam and Clover sat calmly reading.

"Did you have fun, Alex?", asked Sam as she flipped a page.

Alex blushed heavily and tried to stammer an answer. Sam waved it off with a smile before turning to Dominic and pleasantly asking him if he could excuse himself so they could talk. Sam mentally chortled as she saw that D.C. was having problems with his mouth.

_**"Gee, I wonder what **_**caused**_** that, Dominic?", **__thought Sam, not unkindly._

D.C. saw where Sam was going with her insinuations and readily agreed. Turning to Alex he offered up a wicked grin that spoke loads and kissed her passionately. Sam and Clover tried to ignore D.C.'s wandering fingers as Alex arched into the kiss and groaned against Dominic's lips before he pulled away and left her bereft of release. Sam watched D.C. toss a wave over h is shoulder to Alex before she stood up and made her way towards her friend. Seeing that the goofy grin still situated on Alex's face and the faraway look in her eyes, Sam snapped her fingers in front of Alex.

"Alex. Alex, hello, we're over here. _Pay Attention!!_", snapped Sam when it became obvious that Alex was away in a naughty dreamland.

"Hunh…oh…. Sam!!! What the hell!", sputtered Alex as she came around.

"First off, how many times did you come? Next, you'll have to tell us all about his 'techniques'; thirdly, did you enjoy yourself? And last but surely not least, I hope you're packed and are ready for your instructors' punishment. We're late!", stated Clover from across the room where she was closing her book and putting it away.

"Late, late for wha…. _OH SHIT!!!! _We're late! How late are we?", said Alex meekly.

Sam just pointed at the clock on the wall. It was nearing eight o'clock pm. They were almost two hours late. Alex became frantic as her imagination ran away with the kinds of punishment their instructors would mete out for their tardiness. Whatever Sam and Clover ended up with, it would be triple in her case. It was her fault they were late. At that moment the doorbell rang. Meekly going to see who it was (and whimpering the whole time), Alex almost fainted when she saw the familiar one-eyed gaze of her instructor. Opening the door, Alex steeled herself for what was coming.

Seductress cast a cool gaze at her pupil and in an instant knew from the remains of the goofy grin, the rumpled clothes, the partially opened blouse, and the chiming of the bodysuit snaps what her tardy student had been doing. It helped that her highly trained nose could sniff out the remnants of Anemone's activities. It also helped that she'd had the entire session videotaped. Steeling her expression into a titanium mask of painful promises, Seductress only said one thing.

"Anemone, Antigone, Aphrodite; my fellow instructors and I would appreciate it if you would join us in the car.", said Teresa before turning gracefully on one heel and walking towards the Volvo S80 limousine idling at the curb.

The three spies felt their stomachs flip flop as they watched the swirl of their head instructor's skirt as she stalked off. The blonde, the red-head, and the dark-haired teenagers cast identical looks of frightfulness and despair at each other before resigning themselves to their fate.

"Alex, get your shit and let's go, we're already in trouble. We don't need nor want to get in any more. My mind still remembers my session with the paddle the other day. I couldn't sit on my ass for six hours after that. Granted, the nightly activities that I only hazily remember helped sooth that pain but I really don't want a repeat performance.", growled Sam as she picked up her duffle bag and made her way to the door three steps behind Clover.

Alex nodded and raced back upstairs to get her own bag, ignoring the fact that her bodysuit was unsecured, her blouse was open, and her jeans weren't fitting as tight as they had been before Dominic had began his ministrations. Snatching up her bag on and turning around in one lithe, sensuous, and completely unconscious movement, Alex ran back down the stairs. Stopping only to grab her shoes and lock the door to the villa, the teen continued her sprint for the limo and damn near dove across the lap of her instructor. Like a cat, Alex rotated in midair and was able to land in the seat properly. Alex rejoiced internally when she saw that aquiline eyebrow arch in surprise. Her internal happiness reached another level when she received a rare amount of praise from Seductress.

"You're learning, Anemone. Good job."

Turning to Sam and Clover to revel in her smugness, Alex saw that the two hadn't even commented on her acrobatics. The two were too engrossed by a video playing on the monitor above the bar. Alex turned to see what was playing, correctly guessing that it was something important, only to feel her jaw drop as she heard her voice and saw her heaving body on the screen replaying the events in her bedroom from two hours before. Shock turned to anger and she whipped around to her instructor.

"Damn, he's good. What do you think Temptress, Siren?", commented Seductress as she turned to face the other members of Belladonna sitting beside her.

"On a scale of one to ten, I'll give him a 9.5, Seductress. He kept her climaxing for a good ten minutes the first time. What about you, Siren?", commented Temptress as she tapped a finger against her lip in interest.

"I'd give him a ten but he reverted to basic tongue techniques. That looses him a couple of points so I'll give him about an 8.7.", returned Siren as both her and Temptress looked at their friend in anticipation.

"He gets a perfect ten from me. Just wait till you see some of his advanced techniques later on.", replied Seductress as she watched Anemone out of the corner of her eye.

A red hot rage was coursing through Alex. A rage she hadn't felt since she almost knocked Mandy on her ass the first day Dominic had been at school. Only this time the rage was hotter and angrier. The salacious bitch and her bitch friends had been recording her and Dominic in what she thought was the privacy of her own room, a place she considered sacrosanct. And now they had the balls to rate her boyfriends' activities as if he was a piece of meat. This was the last straw! She was going to show Seductress the error of her ways even if it meant she got hurt. Alex lunged at Teresa only to stop short when she felt the gentle caress of a blade against the side of her neck right against her jugular vein. The intent behind this caress was readily apparent: if Alex continued her lunge, she was going to cut her own throat and would die drowning in her own blood in the back of a limo. Forcibly restraining herself from wildly lunging to her death, Alex returned to her position in the car as Sam and Clover shied away from the tableau. Feeling the knife remove itself from its precarious position, Alex allowed a sigh of relief. It held till Seductress spoke in a graveyard voice.

"You were seconds away from death, Anemone. If you had continued in your sorry attempt to attack me, Temptress would've slit your throat and left you to die. Yes, I had you and your boyfriend recorded. As the head instructor on the island and as your trainer for this mission, it was in my authority to do so. I showed you and your friends the video because I wanted to see how you'd react. This was another test. The first part you passed with your acrobatic jump into the limo. However, you failed the second part. You are still unable to control your anger. As you've just learned, if you don't control your anger you will die; especially in this line of work. All three of you have that problem. You feel anger and you can't control it as well as you need to. I don't know why and I don't give a rat's ass about it. But I do give a damn where the three of you are concerned. I definitely give a damn when what you do can possibly affect Foxfire. They are my star pupils and _I don't want you silly ass anger management problems getting them killed and fucking things up on this mission!_ From this day forward if you fail to control your anger at any point of your remaining training, you will be marked. We're starting to get into some of the mission items that can _**AND**_ will kill you if you don't treat them with respect. I don't have to repeat why I'm against your inclusion in this mission but I was overruled. SO far, you three show some promise but you're still a long way from good enough. I'll keep training you till I am sure that this mission has at least a 50 chance of not turning into group suicide. Right now I rate the percentage of that at only ten prevent. The three of you have a lot of hard training to go through. So I hope you're prepared.", commented Seductress severely.

"Yes ma'am", replied three voices as once.

Siren and Temptress nodded as they listened to the determination in the voices and Seductress caught it out of the corner of her eye. Leaning forward, she lifted a hand up and reached across to Alex. Alex flinched and closed her eyes as she waited for the expected slap. She was confused when instead of a stinging sensation across her cheek; she felt only the gentle caress of her instructor's hand.

"Anemone, ma cherie', didn't I tell you to not hold yourself in like that? Let your passions go, release it when you feel that pressure build up. Did I not explain to you that it clouds your judgment in our line of work? Ah, its okay, you're still learning. Anemone, nay, all of you, have your boyfriends do that to you more often. Consider it special training and an order. Now let's go, we're burning the rest of the evening and we have a lot to work on. Driver, you may take us to the pier. We'll take the boat instead of the Catalina. Have the captain and his crew start preparations to immediately cast off and head for the island once we're aboard."

"Yes mistress.", came the voice of the driver as he shifted the car into gear and pulled away from the villa.

Down the street, Dominic was lying in his room trying to remember where he'd seen movements similar to what Alex had been doing (before he helped her with that problem, of course). He'd just rolled over to sleep on it when the sound of a car moving up the streetcaught his attention. Raising himself up enough to look out the window, D.C. saw a long black limo as it glided away from the curb down the street. Watching the vehicle until it made the turn at the corner, Dominic lay back down and though nothing of it and brought his mind back to his present dilemma. Lifting a hand to his chin, D.C. felt the stickiness that represented Alex's essence. As Mr. Sandman started to overtake his consciousness, Dominic had only one thing in his mind.

_**"Why in the hell do I hear the music from Dre T's 'Tasty' and 'Delicious' in my mind?"**_

_**YEEESS, Chapter Three is COMPLETE!!!!!**_

_**I finally finished 'Agents and Operatives' Chapter Three after a totally odd beginning. For all of my fans who are wondering what in Hades I'm talking about, I'll explain. You see, when I first started writing this chapter, I wanted it to start in a different way. Alas as you have probably just read, it didn't start out the way I originally wanted it too. I don't know how you're going to like the start but I hope you do. Even though it's not exactly how I wanted to start this chapter, eh it works for me. **_

_**Well now that this chapter has finished I can finally start on Chapter Four. In Chapter Four, things are going to take a turn. Some of you have already figured out who the cameo characters are that I mentioned (in a roundabout way of course) late in this chapter. I may have them appear in Chap.4 or I may just make a passing mention. You're also going to-possibly-find out about D.C.'s family. **_

_**As you can probably tell from the mention of the new Robotech DVD (Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles), I am a Robotech fan; a big one in fact. I'm partial to the KhyronxAzonia pairing. But I digress. To those who a re curious about whether or not I am a member of the Robotech site, yes I am a member of **__** I post on the discussion boards under the same name as I post my stories here. **_

_**In other news, both "Sylvia's Solitary Soldier, Chapter 5' and "Area 88: Return of the Razgriz, Chapter 3' are both only a few pages away from completion and posting. Chapter 5 of 'SSS' is a kind of filler chapter; I had wanted to add more to it but I felt that I needed to get back to the main story quick, fast, and in a hurry. In Chapter 6, I'll touch on some of the things that I was planning on mentioning in the latter part of chapter 5, but since it's nearly September and I had originally aimed to have chapter 5 out by May at the latest…..well, you can see that I'm extremely behind schedule. **_

'_**Area 88: Return of the Razgriz' is still sailing along smoothly. I hate to say this but Chapter 3 is going to be a tad bit longer than I had anticipated. I got caught up in my efforts (a three hour, non-stop, session at my computer one off day where my stories were all I concentrated on) and by the time I finished that stretch of inspired writing, I had added about another five pages of stuff that-at first- I thought I didn't need but which soon became obvious to me that helped the storyline flow along. I'll address those concerns in my end of chapter author's notes for that story when I finish that chapter.**_

_**As for my other stories, they're all still moving along. For you Robotech fans I've been teasing by mentioning a Ben Dixon/Seloy Deparra story; guess what: I started it and am slowly working on it when I can. That's all I'm mentioning about it right now but when I do let more info slip, you'll know it. **_

_**One thing about these three chapters for T.S: A & O, if my chosen formatting had been passed through when I posted, my fans would probably see that my chapter titles are each in a different color.: chapter one's title was green, chapter two's title is red, while the title of this chapter is yellow. If you can figure out how the title colors I mention are analogous to the characters, I'll give you a small cameo in the next chapter of 'Agents and Operatives' (first one to mention the tie-in winsJ).**_

_**Next chapter, one of the guys is going to figure out the secret the girls are keeping from them. There will also be a (possible) cameo by a familiar hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja, and his main squeeze. When their secret is found out, how will the girls react? Their first mission as assassins is coming up, how will they perform? Will they succeed or will they fail? Find out next chapter. **_

_**To all those who reviewed and are still reading this story despite the length of the chapters, I thank you and hope you keep sending me reviews. **_

_**As usual, flames will go in the appropriate receptacle. **_

_**Keep writing, reading, and reviewing!!! We fanfic authors are starving and a review, any review is like a twelve course meal for us. Keep us full with your reviews. **_

_**Knightewolfe is out for now!**_

_**Knightewolfe's Lair**_

_**14 August 2007 **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Totally Spies**_

_**Agents and Operatives**_

_**Chapter Four**_

Eighteen year old, Beverly High School student, Dominic Calvin James sat in the darkened living room of the house he shared with his two friends and listened to the song, 'Burn One Down' by Styles P as he contemplated his recent discovery about the three girls he and his friends Justin Timothy Bolan and Sean Matthew Lyons had made friends with and ultimately started dating. Dressed in a pair of baggy black fatigue pants, a grey and black pair of high top tennis shoes, and a dark green polo shirt, D.C. was going between two mental extremes.

He was disappointed because Alex didn't yet trust him enough to tell him where she and the girls had been going right after school, but Dominic chalked it up to their still finding out about each other in this relationship. Second, he was pissed off because Alex and the girls worked for the same organization he and his friends worked for, but that could be passed off because of the need for secrecy. Continuing his thoughts in the same vein, Dominic was worried about how Alex would react when she found out that he knew about their secret. D.C.'s final thought was two-fold. One, he knew what kind of training went on the island the girls were presently at and hoped that Alex wouldn't be scarred for life by it. And two, D.C. feared what Alex and her friends Sam and Clover would do when they found out about how the Seductress had trained him and his friends during their time on the island and how she'd punished and rewarded them whenever they either made a mistake or their actions pleased their instructor-slash-mistress.

_** "Oh god, I hope that Teresa keeps those videos of her 'training' sessions with us away from the girls. If they found out about them and actually watched one; the repercussions could be…dangerous.", **thought Dominic as he caught sight of the black duffle bag sitting at his feet. _

Soon, Dominic was lost in thought again but this time he was imagining the things Alex would know after this training was over. When the images started getting to descriptive and lewd, the six foot two and a half inch teen violently shook his head to squelch his thoughts and block the direction they were going. Making a decision, Dominic reached for the phone and picked up the handset while dialing a number he rarely called unless he had something serious on his mind. Listening to the phone ring, he imagined the reaction of the person on the other end of the line when he picked up. He thought it had been a long time but in reality the ringing on the other end of the line was cut off when the owner of the phone picked up and answered in his gruff voice.

"Whadda ya want?", came the borderline rude greeting.

"Hello dad. I'm coming home. I got something on my mind and I need to do some thinking. I'll be leaving here in a few minutes and should be there no later than ten thirty. Will the range be open?", asked D.C. while hiding the hope in his voice.

"Yeah, it will be. I gotta practice. Got qualifications coming up in a couple of days. I'll have your M-63 Stoner prepped and ready. See you when you get here. Goodbye.", came the gruff reply before the connection was cut.

Pulling the handset away from his ear as if it was a poisonous snake, Dominic stared at it with an intense glare. Slamming the object down, he turned to grab his bag and leave. D.C. stopped when he saw the concerned faces of Justin and Sean. Recognizing the questioning gazes and not really wanting to answer them at the moment, Dominic started to brush past his friends only to stop when Sean grabbed his arm.

"What's going on D.C.? Why're you going south?", asked the blonde quarterback.

"Got something on my mind. Have to think it through and I don't want to talk about it right now.", grumbled Dominic as he tried to step past again.

"It doesn't work that way, my friend. We're teammates; we talk everything out between us. Not go running off to our old stomping grounds when we got something to think about. Plus, if you haven't already forgotten, your ex lives there and we have it on good authority that even though she's seeing someone else, she still wants you. If you go down there, don't be surprised if she shows up out of nowhere for a one time thing.", stated Justin as he crossed his arms and gave D.C. a concerned frown.

"Yeah, yeah I know. I'll deal with that problem when it comes up. I have to leave now if I'm going to make it by the time I said I'd be there. Leave me alone for now.", growled D.C. as he jerked his arm from Sean's grasp.

Sean, knowing that if either he or J.T. pushed the issue the consequences wouldn't be nice, let his friend go and stared at the back of D.C.'s head as he walked away. When their friend reached the door of his car, he turned his head and told them he'd see them at lunch the next day.

"I'll probably miss the first half of the day tomorrow but I'll be there."

"Yeah, we know. We'll see you at lunch and we can talk about this."

D.C. shook his head and started to climb into the FTO as he dumped his bag on the back seat. Situating himself in the drivers' seat and buckling up, D.C. started the car and backed out. As he passed his friends, they heard him say something that took them a moment to understand. But before they could ask him about it, the 2.5 liter, twin-turbo, V6 engine sang its beautiful song as Dominic trod heavily on the gas pedal. Sean turned to Justin and asked if J.T. had heard the same thing he did. Seeing Justin nod, Sean lapsed into silence.

_**"He knows who Ice Dancer is? Why won't he tell us? We need to know that information. Dammit Dominic! What are you thinking?",**__ thought Sean as he watched the ruby taillights make the turn at the end of the street and disappear. _

With Dominic out of sight, Sean turned to J.T. with a questioning look in his eye. Justin saw the look and just shrugged before turning around and heading back inside the house.

* * *

At the same time D.C. was speeding away, the convertible carrying Alex, Sam, and Clover was heading back to their villa. Seductress had canceled training for the evening and had sent word via one of the pilots of the Catalina flying boat. Alex was driving while Sam and Clover tried to figure out the reason for the cancellation. Clover was speaking.

"I dunno Sam; I don't think Seductress, Temptress, and Siren would suddenly get called away on a mission like that when they're supposed to be training us. Temptress and Siren aren't even active WHOOP agents anymore due to their infirmities and Seductress halted doing fieldwork to concentrate on running the training facility. I think this cancellation has something to do with Foxfire Lead arriving just as we had a class around the outdoor pool. If you remember, when Vixen showed up and told Seductress what had happened, our instructors' face changed and she turned the lesson over to Siren before storming off.", commented Clover as she leaned back and propped her arms up on the tonneau cover.

Sam disagreed from her spot in the front passenger seat and turned to face Clover with her theories. Alex ignored the interplay as she paid attention to the traffic and maneuvered the car accordingly. Focusing on the flow of traffic, Alex let a part of her mind think back to that moment and agreed with Clover. Something was fishy with this sudden cancellation and Alex too, believed it to be connected to the arrival of the mysterious leader of the team they were going to work with. Alex thought about it some more as she made a turn into the parking lot of a popular ice cream salon.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm dying for an ice cream sundae. You girls want anything? My treat.", said Alex as she waited for one of the employees to take note of their car and roller skate over to take their orders.

Both Clover and Sam were whisked away to the hauntingly familiar naughty dreamscapes of their imaginations for a moment as the tantalizing images of dripping ice cream brought back memories of another lesson with their instructors. Shaking themselves out of their respective sensual trances, Alex, Sam, and Clover went ahead and ordered. Once the waitress skated away to fill their orders for their chosen treats, our three spies relaxed a bit and turned their attention to their surroundings. Numerous teens and several of their classmates hung out either in pairs, groups, or by themselves as they enjoyed the ice cream.

A little while later as the girls were finishing up the last of their ice cream, a familiar midnight blue car pulled up to the stoplight right in front of the ice cream shoppe. Sam spotted it first and brought it to the attention of her friends.

"Hey, isn't that D.C.'s car over there? Where could he be going?", asked the Bev High Student Body President.

"I dunno, Sam. Want me to try and get his attention?", replied Clover when she saw that Alex wasn't going to answer.

"Clover, don't try it. I can tell by the look on his face that he's thinking about something and I don't think he wants to be disturbed. Otherwise he would've stopped by when he saw our car.", cut in Alex before Sam could answer.

The blonde and the redhead gazed at their friend and wondered how she knew that her boyfriend had seen and recognized their car when he wasn't even looking in their direction. The looks on their faces betrayed their curiosity so Alex explained to them the reasoning behind her statement.

"First things first, D.C. saw us as we pulled in. He was up the road a bit but he did see us as he approached the light. I caught a glimpse of his car out of the corner of my eye. Since we made the turn in front of him, he had ample time to see and recognize the convertible. Secondly, this ice cream shoppe is right on the corner and he knows that most students usually park on the supposedly 'cool' side facing the street. Since he's at the light, Dominic would only have to turn his head to the right only a little bit and we'd be in his direct line of sight. Let's leave him alone for a bit and I'll call him later to find out what's wrong.", explained Alex.

Clover and Sam nodded and turned their attention back to their melting ice cream cones. Alex kept her eyes on her boyfriends' car as he waited at the light. Seeing him reach up over his head, Alex interpreted that as him reaching up to hit the switch that opened his sunroof. She congratulated herself on her correct observation as the music from his car stereo blasted out in to the surrounding area. Cocking her head to the side when she heard the thumping bass-line and fast-paced beat, Alex wondered what was causing D.C. to listen to one of his techno CD's. In the time she'd known him, Alex learned that Dominic only listened to techno while he drove when he really needed to think about something. Shrugging her shoulders and letting her thoughts taper off, Alex brought her attention back to the conversation between Clover and Sam.

Alex was correct in surmising that Dominic had seen the convertible. He'd spotted it as he was approaching the traffic light and they were making their turn into the ice creamery. It had taken all of his self-control to keep him from cutting other cars off as he changed lanes to pull in behind them before jumping out to find out if what he found out the other day was true. Gritting his teeth and hating himself for it, D.C. trod heavily on the throttle as the light changed and he peeled off to the accompaniment of screeching tires. In his rear view mirror, D.C. could see the smoke still rising from where his tires had scrabbled for traction before hooking up and hurtling him aggressively away from his beloved before he could do something extremely stupid.

A few minutes later, Dominic merged onto the southbound freeway and turned on his Valentine One radar detector before accelerating through the gears until he was well above the speeds most California Highway Patrol cruisers could achieve. All he had to do was watch out for the unmarked CHP pursuit vehicles and D.C. considered himself pretty good at spotting the Camaros and Mustangs along with the occasional Pontiac GTO's.

"_**I just have to watch out for those dammed Mercury Marauders and Dodge Hemi Charger SRT8's. Those are a real pain in the ass to get away from."**, thought D.C. as he cast a quick glance at his speedometer and saw that he was doing about a buck sixty* and then some._

_**[Author's Note: buck sixty = 160 MPH for those not in the know. D.C. had the speed limiter on his car removed when he had the Engine Control Unit reprogrammed.]**_

Sighing to himself, D.C. allowed his long-tome familiarity with his car to put his body on automatic as his mind thought about other things. By his seat of the pants reckoning, Dominic figured he'd be in San Diego well before the time he quoted to his father.

Back at the ice cream shop, the girls were pulling out of the parking lot in silence. They were in awe of what they and the other patrons of the shop had just seen when the midnight blue twin-turbocharged RHD Mitsubishi FTO had burned rubbed while peeling out. The trio of girls had never seen so much tire smoke produced by one car in their entire lives. Even with Clover attending the underground urban street races with her boyfriend the sometime street racer and seeing the smoke produced by the other racers, she never knew that the car of Alex's boyfriend was capable of doing what it did. A comment by said friend brought Clover back to the present. She'd missed it so she asked Alex to repeat her words.

"If D.C.'s peeling out like that, then he must be really pissed off about something. That wasn't one of his accidental burnouts. That one was purposely done! He meant to draw attention to himself. Usually he prefers to flying under the radar. If I were to hazard a guess, D.C. wanted us-or to be more specific-me, to see him.", commented Alex sourly.

"What did you do to rile him up that much Alex? Seduce him and leave him unsatisfied or what?", stated Sam.

Alex cast the redhead an evil glare. There was no way she'd do that to Dominic. If she was going to seduce him, Alex promised herself that she wouldn't stop halfway and would follow through with her actions. She'd seen how grumpy Justin got when Sam pulled that move on him the other day while the six of them were hanging out at the villa lounging about in the pool. Deciding to change the subject before it delved in a direction that she really didn't want it to; Alex asked Clover if she was going to be running for Homecoming Queen this year.

'Yeah, I'm gonna run. Mandy beat me last year by one vote. I want this year's Homecoming to be one I'll remember for the rest of my life. If I win, I'm not gonna run for Prom Queen. I was that last year while my rival was one of my attendants. That was the high point of our junior year.", replied Clover emphatically.

"Speaking of Homecoming, aren't we supposed to be going with the guys to their friend's homecoming this week? If we are, when is our flight?", asked Sam.

Neither of her friends knew the answer to that question and Sam sighed in consternation. She'd have to call J.T. to find out the exact date and time of the flight. For the umpteenth time, Sam was extremely happy that since they were under the direct supervision of Nastasya and the DILJO Division, the spies were exempt from any new missions from Jerry. During the middle of their second week of training, their boss had made a surprise visit to the Island and informed them of their status. Jerry had told his spies that he'd assigned a new team of spies to fill in for them. They'd finished some of their extra training and started doing missions around the same time that she, Alex, and Clover had started their training regimen under the members of Belladonna.

Deciding to stop by and see Justin when they got home, Sam leaned back in her seat and watched the landscape as the convertible sped by their hometown landscape with Alex at the wheel.

* * *

There was a palpable sense of dread wandering the halls of Beverly High School. The student body could feel it and they didn't know who or what the cause of the dread was but many of the students in the know said that it was linked to the definite chill in the relationship between Alex and D.C. Not counting their friends, those who were close to the couple whispered about the helluva verbal row the two had had three days previous.

On that day, the entire school had been surprised when Dominic had arrived at school during the middle of lunch. The bellow of his car's exhaust had punctuated his arrival thirty minutes into the lunch hour. This had relieved many of his classmates who'd been walking around on Alex and her friends as if they were on eggshells. Alex had arrived at school in a concerned mood that quickly turned to anger when she found out her boyfriend had gone home to San Diego from his friends. During Sean and J.T.'s explanation, Dominic had called Justin to tell him that he was going to be later than he thought at first.

Since Justin had put his cell phone on speaker so that Alex and her friends could hear D.C., it was a shock when in the background Sean and Justin had heard a voice they'd recognized. The two had looked at each other in shock before Sean shook his head at Dominic's idiocy. The person they had warned him about before he left was, at that very moment, sitting across from him as he talked to his friends. From what they could gather before their roommate hung up, Dominic's ex-girlfriend had indeed caught wind that he was in San Diego and, as they'd feared, had sped over to his family's house to try and win him back and if she failed, try to seduce him as she was wont to do. Luckily, D.C. had caught the act and cut her attempts short. She'd pouted until he'd relented enough to have breakfast with her before he drove back up to Beverly Hills. All this was explained during the telephone call.

Needless to say, Alex had been less than thrilled with her boyfriend's actions.

After the conversation, Alex had requested (actually more like demanded) the reason why Sean and Justin had warned D.C. about his ex-girlfriend. What followed had been a lengthy explanation about Dominic's ex-girlfriend and the things she'd done to try and keep his attentions after he caught her with another guy. This before school conversation had been punctuated by increasingly loud cursing coming from Alex that had ended when she heard about Dominic's ex, Sheila, trying to pull the 'I'm-pregnant-and-its-your-baby' stunt in her efforts to rekindle their relationship after they'd broke up. Before she could give further voice to her frustrations, the bell rang and all five teenagers headed for class with Alex muttering dire imprecations about what she was going to do to her boyfriend when he arrived after telling his friends that she'd bring him the information on what he'd missed so far that morning.

When D.C. arrived at school in the middle of lunch, the first person to see him was Tommy Kurtzmann who immediately dragged him to the office to explain his tardiness to the attendance clerk as well as the vice principal. Tommy had wanted to make sure that his friend was safe and urged him to make haste to his class after he finished in the office. Hoping to avoid the scene he knew was coming, Tommy had told Mandy to keep her mouth shut and go about her business as usual. For once in their secret relationship, Mandy flouted that and immediately went searching for Alex. Ten seconds after Mandy had 'inadvertently on purpose' spilled the beans about Dominic being in the office and Tommy having a hand in hiding him, Alex was dashing in that very direction.

With the speed that had engendered her legend on the soccer field, Alex arrived at the office just as D.C. was exiting with Tommy. When she got there, the two were in a conversation about some inconsequential thing or another (or at least Dominic was. Kurtzmann knew who was on the way and was hurrying D.C. along). The conversation stopped as Alex slowly walked up to Thomas, slapped him hard across the face, grabbed D.C. by the front of his shirt, and literally dragged him to a secluded corner to give him a piece of her mind.

Three minutes after her actions in front of the office, Alex's voice was heard arguing rather loudly and vehemently with her melodic alto in counterpoint to Dominic's smooth baritone as he tried-and failed-to get his point across. The argument got so heated that the two missed the bell signaling the end of lunch before Sam and Clover could pull their friend away in a flurry of arms and legs. As the blonde and redhead dragged her to class, Alex got lucky and one of her flailings caught Dominic on the side of his face. He was extremely surprised and agitated enough to respond and he did so in the most unexpected way.

_"Dammit Alex! That's the second time you've slapped me for no good damn reason!"_

Incensed at the way she was being dragged away, pissed off at D.C. for putting her in such a spot with his actions, and insulted by his harsh words, Alex replied with her own verbal blast.

_"You Two-Timing Sonuvabitchin' Bastard, Dominic; what the fuck is your problem?"_

Everyone in the area winced at the rage in Alex's voice. It promised quick retribution.

All that drama had happened three days previous, it was now Thursday and Beverly High was getting ready to play football against Justin, Dominic, and Sean's old school. By his own request, Sean had asked the coach if he could skip that game since he still felt a loyalty to his old school. The coach had acquiesced and Sean had been put on the list of players not playing that game. Right now, Sean sat in a boutique waiting for Clover to finish making her choices for their upcoming trip to the town where their friend Slick had invited them to come to his last high school homecoming game. Wearing a pair of black slacks, a white casual shirt, some leather shoes, and a lightweight leather jacket with a multitude of patches; Sean cut quite the dashing figure. Clover considered herself lucky to be his significant other.

When they had arrived at the mall, the blonde spy had rejoiced as she caught the unconcealed looks of jealousy cast their way by some of the single college students either hanging out or working at the mall. Leaning her head against the leather, Clover sighed in comfort. Ever since Sean had received this jacket after ordering it online, she'd wanted one similar to it and hinted at it every chance she would get. When he mentioned that the jacket had cost him almost a thousand dollars, it didn't faze her in the least.

Looking at her figure as she stood in the fitting room wearing only her panties and bra, Clover thanked her trainers on the island for their almost manic insistence on their charges to keep fit. Clover's speed and stamina had increased as well as her endurance. She was now stronger and faster than when she first entered high school. Glancing over at the pile of outfits she'd picked to try on, Clover chose to purchase the two sets of jeans, a pair of long-sleeved shirts, and a cashmere sweater vest to wear at the football game. Redressing herself in the skirt and blouse combo she'd worn to school today, Clover opened the door to the dressing room and walked out to show her boyfriend her choices.

Stepping in to the waiting area where she'd left him, Clover looked around for Sean. It took her a second to find him since he no longer sat in the seat she'd left him in. Sean had gotten up and was leaning on a counter talking on the phone to somebody. As Clover approached, she could see that whoever was on the other end of the line was not making her boyfriend happy. Sean had a scowl on his face that could cut glass. Just as she stepped up beside him, Clover saw Sean hang up the phone and blow a frustrated breath of air through his pursed lips. Wondering what had caused the frustration, Clover asked him if anything was wrong as he saw what she intended to buy.

"Oh it's nothing much. I just got word that somebody wants to challenge me to a race. I told my contact to tell them that I'd get back to them later. He did so and assured me everything was fine. A little later he calls back and tells me that the person making the challenge didn't agree and said that the guy had insulted me. To top it off, he demanded that my contact tell me that the race was set for tonight and if I didn't show up, he'd be sure to ruin my reputation.", growled Sean with a worried grin on his face.

Clover knew that in the street racing world, after the safety of others; Sean cared about his reputation. He took many hits for caring more about safety than his reputation but he was unswayable on that part and had refused to race several challengers when they couldn't assure him of the safety of the course. That part of his personality is what drew Clover closer and closer to him and made her love him all the more. Giving a contented sigh, the blonde spy looped her free hand through Sean's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. When he smiled that roguishly caring smile of his, something that Clover had been pondering for awhile cleared up and she made a decision that would change the way her friends looked at her. Gently tugging on Sean's arm, Clover led him over to the check out counter where one of the salespeople was ready to check Clover's chosen garments out.

"Sean, why don't you wait for me outside, there was something I needed to get. I was so caught up in that I forgot to get it off the rack. I'll just be a few more minutes, okay?", gushed Clover as she gave Sean a push.

"Hmmm, oh, okay. I gotta call Dominic and Justin and let them know about the challenge I received. They may want to watch the race tonight. I'll wait for you. Don't make me wait too long thought. If you do, my eyes may wander.", replied Sean with a teasing lilt to his voice.

With his face looking so innocent, Clover could do nothing but laugh at his words. The cheerleader knew that he wouldn't go astray. He was too faithful for that. Returning his teasing fondly, Clover tossed a wink his way.

"Your eyes can wander but if they wander too far and your hands follow, somebody will be in a lot of pain and it ain't gonna be me!", replied Clover saucily.

She watched as Sean nodded and headed out the door of the boutique. Once she saw that he was occupied with his phone call, Clover told the clerk that she would be right back with one more item. The friendly girl said okay and Clover could see the jealous look in her eyes as she unabashedly stared at Clover's boyfriend. Letting the irritation slide, Clover went to the part of the store where she knew the object of her search was located. Once in that area, the blonde cheerleader reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Punching in the seven digit number she knew by heart, Clover placed her call.

"Hello.", answered the familiar voice.

"Sam, hi; it's Clover. Can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, as long as it isn't too daunting a favor for me to do, what is it you need?", replied her redheaded friend.

"Can you and Alex if she's there, bail for a few hours. I made a certain decision and will need the villa to myself for ohh a couple of hours. Is that too big of a favor?"

"No it isn't. If I may ask, why do you need the villa?"

"Umm, I just need it okay!"

On the other end of the line Sam took the phone headset away from her ear and gave it a curious look. Clovers' request had caught her at an extremely bad time. She needed to study for an upcoming test and those few hours Clover was asking for would cut in to her study time. Wanting to know more, Sam asked Clover to elaborate on her request. Back at the boutique, Clover had found the item she was looking for (and wonder of wonders, she found it in her favorite color) and was making her way back to the front to pay for her purchases when Sam asked for her to give an explanation for her request. Gritting her teeth so hard it was painful, Clover mentally ran through her litany of excuses until hitting on the one she was sure Sam would understand.

"Sam, I decided to take some advice from a…a… mutual acquaintance of ours.", replied Clover leadingly.

It took a moment for Sam to catch the hidden meaning and reply.

"Advice from a mutual acquaintance; what mutual acquai… oh, I get it now. Okay, I'll grab Alex and we'll go do something. How long until you get here?", asked Sam as she recalled whom Clover was presently with."

"Think you can pull the fade in about thirty minutes, if so, that'll be good enough."

"Sure, no problem; I hope you have fun and we'll have to talk about this…..'advice' later tonight."

Clover blushed as she caught the hidden meaning in her friend's words. Sighing in relief and promising herself that she'd owe Sam big time for this favor, Clover thanked her and hung up before paying for her choices (and ignoring the knowing look from the sales girl as she saw the last item Clover had bought). Thanking the helpful girl, Clover grabbed the bags carrying her purchases and walked out of the store. Before she got away from the counter, the girl called out and told her to have a good evening, the double entedre very much present in her words. Blushing again and muttering an 'okay', Clover hurried out of the store and made her way over to where Sean was finishing his phone call.

"Have you finished your shopping Clover?", asked Sean as he closed his cell phone.

"Yeah, I'm finished. Let's go home."

"Okay. Home it is."

Once again looping her arm through his, Clover let Sean lead her from the busy mall. As the pair walked out of the mall, Sean didn't know the mental battle his girlfriend was fighting with a part of her consciousness.

* * *

Across town, while Clover was thinking about the ramifications of her decision, Sam was desperately trying to persuade Alex to go grab a bite to eat with her. Unfortunately, Alex was being stubborn and did not particularly want to leave the house to get something to eat when she had a Stouffer's dinner in the microwave.

"Come on Alex, quit being so stubborn. Your dinner will still be here when we get back. I just want to spend some time with you.", pleaded Sam with an eye on the clock.

"No, Sam! I'm hungry dammit and I haven't had anything to eat all day! You can run to the store and get something but I'm staying here and enjoying this meal. I've been looking forward to this plate of lasagna all day! Now leave me to my pasta passion!", growled Alex as she impatiently tapped her foot on the kitchen floor.

"_**Of all the… damn Alex can be the quite the stubborn bitch when she wants to be. Especially when it comes to food and she hasn't eaten all day. Shit, Clover will be home with Sean in twenty minutes, what can I do to get her outta the house? Crap, I hope Clover has what she needs! If Clover gets home and Alex is still here, I won't hear the end of it! Shit, shit, shit, shit what can I do?", **Sam fumed as she cast another worried glance at the clock. _

Sam was saved by a knock at the front door.

"Who is it?", she called out.

"Hey Sam it's D.C., is Alex there?", replied Alex's boyfriend from the front.

"Yeah, she's here, come on in. What's up? You need her for something?"

"I just dropped by to see if she wanted to come and work out with me for a bit. I'm headed over to the park to see if I can catch a pick-up game of soccer."

Before Sam could answer, a dark blur brushed past her on its way to the door. Sam called out to the figure who rushed past but as she expected, she was ignored. Taking a few steps into the living room, Sam heard Alex replying.

"D.C.! Sure, I'll go and work out with you. Gimme a minute to grab my gear!", Sam heard Alex reply giddily.

"But, Alex, what about the dinner you have in the microwave?", yelled Sam as she stepped into the living room.

"Oh, you can put it in the fridge. I'll grab a bite to eat with D.C. while we're out. Talk to you later, Sam!"

Sam sighed as she heard the thump of Alex's footsteps as she ran upstairs to grab a set of her workout clothes. Five minutes later, Sam watched as Alex hurried back down the stairs attired in a pair of old sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Noticing that her friend had the bag containing her shin guards, cleats, and other sundry workout gear slung over her shoulder, Sam gave a sigh of relief. Giving D.C., a look that spoke wonders (and left him confused) Sam watched as Alex gave her boyfriend a hug before heading out the door with Dominic in trail. Watching the pair for the couple of minutes it took for them to make their way to D.C.'s car, Sam closed and locked the front door before grabbing her keys and heading for the garage. If she timed everything right, Sam figured that she could run to the nearest convenience store, get what she thought Clover would need and drop it off at home before heading back out to let Clover have the villa for the time she requested.

"Hmm, I wonder what Justin is doing? Maybe I can talk him into going out for a bit.", mused Sam as she left the house.

Thirteen minutes later, Sam had returned with the package she'd gone to get. Double checking the clock to see how much time was left before Clover got home, Sam dropped the package on Clover's dresser with a cd and a pair of scented candles that she'd found in the second floor utility closet. Gazing at Clover's well made full-sized bed, Sam let her thoughts run away from her for a bit before she brought her attention back to the present and headed back downstairs. With one last look at the clock, Sam saw that she had maybe three minutes before Clover made it home. She could almost hear the unique sound of Sean's Audi TT coming down the street. With one last look at the house and a mental prayer for Clover's decision, Sam started the car and backed out of the driveway. Going up the street, she saw the familiar grey car as it made its way down to the villa. Giving the car a quick flash of her headlights since it was starting to get dark, Sam chuckled as an acknowledging flash came back. Pulling to a stop at the corner, Sam shifted her mind into finding someplace to eat. Making her decision, Sam made the turn in the direction she wanted to go and accelerated. With her mind made up, Sam's thoughts turned back to her blonde friend.

"_**Clover I hope you know what you're doing and I hope you've made the right decision. Moreover, I hope you have an enjoyable few hours. I'll want details when I get back. Enjoy yourself girl. You caught a live one!", **thought Sam as she headed off in to the darkness in her search for sustenance. _

Back at the villa, Clover watched as the taillights of the convertible the three of them shared merged into the darkening night and sighed. Things were looking up. Feeling the relative motion of the car stop, Clover brought her attention back to the man sitting next to her. Opening her door and climbing out, Clover waited for Sean to unlatch the trunk so she could get her new outfits into her closet.

"Come on in Sean and give me a minute while I put these things up. I'll be right back. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen.", commented Clover as she unlocked the front door and made her way to the stairs.

"Alright, thanks Clover. I'll just grab something to drink and wait for you to come back.", replied Sean as he closed the front door and headed in to the kitchen.

Placing Clovers' keys on the hook provided, Sean opened up the refrigerator and helped himself to a bottle of Coke before heading back into the living room to wait for his girlfriend. Upstairs, Clover saw the package Sam had left and thanked her friend for remembering as well as for the candles. Taking her new outfits out of the bags, she hung them all up in the closet except for the last outfit she'd bought. Clover snipped off the tags before stripping out of her school clothes and slipping into the new outfit. Taking a look at herself in the mirror, the blonde teenager liked what she saw and again mentally thanked her trainers on the island for toning and firming her body up. Making some last adjustments, Clover returned to her closet and looked at the multiple pairs of shoes arranged on the floor by style and color. Picking out the pair of heels given to her by her trainer, Clover slipped her dainty little feet into them and made her way back to her vanity.

Gazing at her appearance in the mirror, Clover applied a light covering of make-up and dabbed a cotton ball lightly dipped in perfume on the hollow of her neck and behind her ears. Giving her body one last look, Clover retrieved the two candles and headed downstairs to her guest.

Downstairs, Sean had taken a position on the love seat and was finishing his soda. Checking his watch and wondering what was taking Clover so long; Sean leaned back in his seat. Hearing the familiar flare as a match was struck, he looked around to find the source.

"Sean, could you come give me a hand.", called Clover from the top of the stairs.

"Sure, here I come.", replied Sean as he got up from his seat and made his way to the bottom of the staircase.

"Be careful, I forgot to brighten the light when I came upstairs."

"Okay."

Sean placed his hand on the railing as he stepped on the bottom most step. Looking up the stairs, Sean was about to comment on Clover's faux pas when he saw a vision of beauty lit by the soft glow of the candle she was carrying and his breath caught in his throat.

Clover was wearing a soft peach teddy with matching garter belt, panties, and high heeled shoes.

In the dim light from the flickering candle, Sean could barely make out the sparse blonde thatch the guarded the entrance to her interior. Feeling a relentless pull he could do nothing to stop, Sean slowly climbed the staircase. As he reached the top step, Sean could feel the sudden tightness in his loins and gazed down at the nearly naked woman in front of him. He couldn't speak but his eyes asked the question. His angel nodded and reached out a delicate hand with well-manicured fingernails painted in the soft pink he knew she preferred. Without words, Sean accepted the hand and allowed Clover to lead him to her bedroom.

As he stepped across the threshold, the stricken man watched as his beloved knelt down and placed the candle holder on the night stand. A growl of appreciation ripped from his throat as he watched the g-string panties she wore tighten with the movement. When Clover rose from her position and turned to face him, Sean saw the wanton look of desire on her face and idly wondered if it matched the one on his.

Clover saw the look on Sean's face and beckoned seductively for him to come forward. When he got close enough, she reached up and found her soft lips being plundered by his harsh ones. Letting her own feelings take her away on a cloud of sweet bliss. Throwing caution to the wind, Clover slowly lowered herself to the bed and tugged Sean down with her. Placing his hands on the shoulder straps, Clover looked up into his eyes and read the question there. Nodding once, she answered the unspoken request.

"Yes, I am sure."

Minutes later, the sounds of a couple in the throes of passion filtered through the villa shared by the spies in harmonic counterpoint to the soft music being played.

* * *

Across town, D.C. and Alex were both stretching as they got ready to run a few laps around the field. All around the park, lights were shining and there were many things going on. Over at the playground, several young children enjoyed the equipment while their parents watched with a cautiously relaxed eye while chatting with each other. Several bikers were speeding around the track at the velodrome as they prepared for an upcoming competition. On the tennis courts, several recreational players were involved in friendly games that sounded like their version of Wimbledon. There were several people walking dogs, riding bikes, roller skating, and just all out having fun on this crisp autumn night at the park.

Looking at everything with a grin on his face, Dominic returned his attention to the nearest of four full-sized soccer fields where there was a mean game going on. It was a game he was about to join as he finished warming up his muscles and slipped out of his sweat pants before sitting down to don his shin guards and cleats. Tying a multicolored bandanna around his forehead to use as a headband, D.C. pulled his sweat shirt over his head to reveal a warm-up t-shirt from his old soccer team. Turning his attention to Alex as she slipped out of her own sweatpants beside him and placed them in her bag, D.C. pointed out the guys doing laps around the field in preparation for joining the game when the time came.

"Let's jog around the field to loosen up a bit before we join the game."

"Okay, Dominic. That sounds like a good idea."

D.C. nodded before walking towards the track. On the way over, Alex observed as he greeted some of the other players before starting his lap. She joined up with him and together they set an easy loping pace around the field. For the first few laps, the couple was quiet as they set their own rhythm. It didn't take long for them to unconsciously synchronize their breathing during their jog. Some of the other runners they passed, both male and female, did notice and often times would smile warmly at the couple as they passed by.

After five laps, Dominic and Alex slowed down and started walking. It was getting close to the end of the game and several of the other joggers had slowed to a walk as well. Alex turned to D.C. and asked a question.

"I take it from your greeting to some of the others that you've been here a few times already?"

"Yeah, I started coming awhile back and they made me feel welcome. I enjoy playing here against these guys. These guys are good and going against them helps me improve my skills as a player. I think you'll enjoy it. A couple of our teammates come all the time. Ahh, there they are, over there.", commented D.C. as he pointed to another teenage couple finishing their laps.

Alex glanced in the direction Dominic indicated. At first all she could make out was a mop of flaming and unruly blond hair held back by a headband. As the owner of the hair got closer, she saw that he was attired in a bright orange shirt, black shorts, orange socks with black stripes, and black cleats with orange trim. Walking next to the orange attired young man was a pale-skinned girl around Alex's age with her long black hair tied up in a ponytail. It took Alex a minute to recognize the odd couple but when she did, she laughed. There was only one couple at Beverly High that was so mismatched yet so perfectly right for each other: Hinata Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki.

Hinata Hyuuga was the pale-skinned elder daughter of a local businessman. Her father was the Chief Executive Officer of a Fortune 500 Company based here in Beverly Hills but with offices all around the world. Hinata had a sister who was five years younger than she was. Hanabi Hyuuga attended Beverly Hills Junior High School just up the street and-like her sister-was a soccer player. Alex had first met Hinata back when they were freshmen trying out for the team. Both of them had made it, Alex as an all-state midfield while Hinata was an all-state second team striker.

Naruto Uzumaki was an aberration. At Beverly High the majority of the student body came from wealthy families. Naruto on the other hand came from a strictly blue-collar family background. Since his parents had died in a car accident when he was younger, Naruto lived with a distant uncle who kept him on the straight and narrow. Naruto was a brash and loud student. Everyone knew he was the instigator of most of the practical jokes that happened around campus on a regular basis, but the faculty couldn't prove it and in the four years he'd been a student, Uzumaki had lived a charmed live. Naruto was also one of the smartest kids in school although he did downplay his intelligence on occasion. Alex had a sneaking suspicion that if the brash blonde ever focused his attention on his studies more, he would rank higher than her friend Sam on the principal's honor roll.

The story of how the quiet Hinata and the loud Uzumaki got together was a legendary one. It was a story that Alex had played an integral part of during their sophomore year. In his usual brash way, Naruto had asked Alex out and on a whim, Alex had agreed. During the date, Alex had spotted Hinata sneaking around watching them everywhere they went. Cornering the extremely intelligent but quiet girl in the washroom at the movie theater Naruto had taken her to, Alex had found out that Hinata had had a crush on the loudmouth since junior high school and was desperately trying to get his attention. Deciding that, as a teammate, she could help Hinata get her man; Alex told Naruto to gather six of his friends and challenged them to an indoor soccer game. If Alex and her team won, Naruto would have to fulfill one request made by Alex and vice versa. The brash young man had accepted the challenge on the spot and the game was set. Of course being ever so conniving, Alex had made double damn sure that Hinata was on her team. During the game, Alex had Hinata guard Naruto every chance she could. It had frustrated the boy to no end when each time he though he was free to either pass or shoot, there was Hinata guarding him a bit closer than the rules allowed (Alex had bribed the ref to not notice when Hinata 'accidentally' tripped Naruto up and landed on him).

In the end the pair had gotten together and from all reports, everything was smooth sailing.

"Naruto, Hinata how's it going?", called D.C. as he waved to the pair when they approached.

"Fine, D.C. , fine. I'm glad you were able to find my house to return my car the other day. I was surprised to see that you had filled it up and washed it.", replied Naruto as he stretched.

Alex remembered that next to Hinata, Naruto babied his pristine orange and black Honda S2000 incessantly. She was curious why D.C. had borrowed Naruto's car though.

"It was no problem, just my way of thanking you for the favor.", replied D.C. calmly although Alex could hear a slight nervous undertone to his voice.

"Naruto really liked your car, Dominic. It took him a second to get the shift pattern right but he managed. We both loved the leather seats and the stereo was a real eye-opener.", commented Hinata in her soft voice.

"When I got my car back, I could tell you'd liked the seats, Hinata.", replied D.C. with a grin that had the pale-skinned girl turning a dark scarlet.

The teenagers chuckled as they turned their attention to the game and waited to get picked by either side. Alex had caught the insinuation and remembered that in addition to making her open up more, Naruto's influence on Hinata had brought about a surprising, and wholly unexpected, change that became apparent when the couple celebrated their six-month anniversary. The day after that in their locker room before a game, Alex remembered that Hinata had been asked about how she and Naruto had celebrated their anniversary.. By the time the team headed out of the locker towards the field, Hinata had embarrassed every girl on the team by the candid discussion of the anniversary celebration.

Hearing her name being called, Alex saw that she had been picked to be on the same team as Hinata and Naruto. Making her way to the team captain, Alex stood beside her two friends and waited for the picking of teams to be finished. Upon finding out that Dominic was going to be on the other team, Alex felt a thrill run through her. She was going to be playing against him and could use this game to analyze his every move.

"Alex, go ahead and mark, D.C. I talked to the captain and he said it was alright. Be careful though, he's very good.", commented Hinata as together they jogged out to their chosen positions on the field with their team.

"How good is he exactly, Hinata?", asked Alex as she did a few more stretches to loosen up.

The dark haired girl thought for a moment before replying. Her reply made Alex stammer a denial. She chuckled at her teammate before heading to her striker's position. Behind her, Alex could hear the braying laugh of Hinata's boyfriend and figured that he must've known what Hinata was going to say and had been waiting for Alex's reaction. Shooting him the finger behind her back, Alex turned her attention to the other team and waited for the whistle to blow. When it did, the star of the Beverly High Women's Soccer Team didn't focus on anything else except the game she was playing in. Within minutes after the game started, Alex was treated to a first hand experience as her boyfriend blew past her with the ball at his feet.

Ultimately, Alex had to concede the point to Hinata and take her advice. Dominic was damn near unstoppable on the field. By half-time, Alex was winded and trying to figure out a way to stop the man who'd already scored once and had a couple of assists. Jogging over to her bag where her Gatorade was, Alex passed Hinata.

"I told you, Alex. Dominic is good. You'll have to mark him like I marked Naruto our sophomore year.", teased Hinata.

"Don't remind me 'Nata. At least we've scored a few times.", answered Alex with a grunt as she guzzled some Gatorade.

Hinata nodded and the two returned to the field for the second half. This time, Alex was ready for Dominic and had adjusted to his ability. She kept him from scoring twice more and was able to get past him once on a breakaway to score a goal. As Alex passed D.C after scoring, she grinned and gave him a pat on the backside.

"Next time, watch me and not the ball. Okay baby?", Alex teased.

"Oh, is that a taunt! There won't be a next time, doll!", Dominic returned good-naturedly.

As the second half of the game progressed, the taunts between them got more and more risqué. It didn't help that Hinata was egging her on and supplying Alex with some good ones. Some of Hinata's suggestions even caused a lifted eyebrow from Naruto.

Finally with one minute left in the second half of this game with a tie score and both teams battling it out to get the last goal, Alex was witness to the true athleticism displayed by her boyfriend. And it all started with a misplayed ball. The play had started with a goal kick by Dominic's team that put the ball right in the middle of the field. Keeping an eye on D.C., Alex had rushed in to retrieve the ball and pass it on to Hinata who was lagging a bit up front. The ball bounced off one of her opponent's heads and in her direction and Alex had headed it to Hinata. Hinata misplayed it and in the following scrum, the ball got past one of their teammates. Looking for the ball, Alex had taken her eyes off of Dominic for a millisecond.

And that was all it took.

One of Dominic's teammates got the ball and immediately sent a pass up towards the net. The ball took an awkward bounce and Naruto almost missed it. Instead of getting the ball full on to clear it, he caught it on the side of his boot and popped it up. As she was racing to the ball, Alex caught a fast moving blur out of the corner of her eye that resolved itself into the speeding figure of her boyfriend. Dominic reached the ball two seconds ahead of her and he headed it straight up. As the ball started its descent, Alex watched vainly as D.C. stopped, saw he was about to overrun the ball, and twisted his body so that he had his back to the goalie and caught the ball right on the toe of his boot before sending it past the diving goal keeper with a perfect bicycle kick to score the game-winning goal. Struck dumb by the move, Alex could only say one thing:

_"Damn, He Is Good!_

Two hours later, Dominic and Alex were packing up their gear like the rest of the players on the field. It was closing on ten o'clock, the time the park closed for the evening. The couple had played another game with another group of players. This time, Naruto and Dominic had been teammates. The second game, Alex had marked D.C. closer and tighter than before and he was only able to score once on a lucky shot. In addition, Alex was able to take advantage of some miscommunication on the field after a corner kick and was able to score on two separate occasions. In the end, the game had ended as a draw and everyone decided to call it a night. At the moment, D.C. was sitting on a bench talking to Naruto.

"Whatcha got planned for the rest of the evening, Naruto?"

"Not much. Maybe go home take a shower and watch some TV while studying for my test tomorrow. What about you?"

"Gonna take a shower, and hang out with the street racers. Sean got challenged by somebody and his reputation is on the line. I'm riding out to make sure nobody causes any problems. Wanna come?"

"Yeah, Hinata and I will come. I've always wanted to see how fast that TT of his runs. You gonna race?"

"Probably not. I usually don't race unless there is a good reason for me to race. I got enough of the grudge matches back in San Diego. "

Naruto nodded as he finished putting his gear away. Looking over to where his girlfriend waited patiently, he got up from his seat and headed in her direction while slinging his bag over his shoulder. Turning once to ask D.C. to call him when they headed out, Naruto waved goodbye with his left hand while wrapping his right arm around Hinata's shoulders. Dominic smirked as he saw the shorter woman reach behind Naruto's back and stick her hand in the back pocket of his sweat pants. Tying the laces to his sneakers, D.C jumped when the presence of an ice cube made itself known by slipping down the back of his shirt. Knowing who the guilty party was, D.C. turned around and chased after his laughing girlfriend. It took a few minutes but he caught up to Alex and wrapped her in his arms before dragging her to the ground.

Once Alex submitted to his tickles and promised that she wouldn't do it again between gasps of air, Dominic got up and pulled Alex to her feet. Embracing her in a hug, D.C. buried his nose into Alex's neck and inhaled the scent of dried sweat as it mixed and mingled with Alex's own smell. He was cut short when another ice cube found its way into his collar. This time Dominic retaliated and dropped several of his own ice cubes down the front of Alex's shirt making her shriek in delight.

D.C. stepped back as Alex quickly took off her shirt and shaking it to get the recalcitrant ice cubes out. Observing the exposed smooth brown skin and closely fitting sports bra Alex was wearing; Dominic felt the pull of his libido and lost himself in his fantasies for a moment before coming back and realizing that Alex was looking at him with a hunger in her eyes. The two stepped closer to each other until they were chest to chest. If D.C.'s phone hadn't picked that moment to trill with the sound of an incoming call, who knows what could have happened. The lust-filled moment vanished and the two blinked at each other before D.C. turned to answer his phone and give Alex the privacy she needed to slip her ice cube free shirt back on. When D.C. turned back around he saw that Alex had replaced her shirt and was slinging her bag over her shoulder. The two gazed one another and saw the subtle shock of their actions etched into each other's face. A few minutes later, the pair were seated in Dominic's car and headed home. Dominic asked if Alex wanted to come out and watch the races tonight.

"Yes, I do. I'll pass the word on to Sam and Clover when I get home.'

"Clover may already know. I'll call Naruto and have him bring Hinata over here so we can convoy out to the spot. I'm also gonna call Tommy Kurtzmann and see if he wants to join us in watching the race."

"Okay. He might bring Mandy with him though. Oh well, hopefully Clover won't go off the hook."

Dominic nodded and made the turn on to their street. Pulling up in front of the villa, he stopped the car and leaned over to kiss Alex. As he did, he was able to taste the dried salt on her skin and for some odd reason that, along with her combined scent of sweat and Alex's own natural smell, enflamed his passions. Dominic expressed that feeling of passion through his kiss. Alex felt the kiss grow progressively deeper and fought a mental battle to keep her from succumbing to the latent promises coming from his lips. Gently pushing Dominic away before things got out of hand, Alex looked at her boyfriend face and saw the disappointment expressed therein. That look of disappointment tore at her heart and she almost gave in but her control reinstated itself.

"I'm sorry D.C. but let's slow down a bit. Things almost got out of hand there. I know that on other occasions our actions could be construed differently, like the other day after school when we fell asleep in my room during our 'study' session, but I want to wait until the right time for us to progress much further along in our relationship.", sighed Alex as she opened the car door with much reluctance.

"I know what you mean, Alex and I agree with you most wholeheartedly. Like you, I want the time and place to be right when our relationship advances to that point. But do you know how hard it is to control myself when I'm around you? It's extremely hard!", D.C. returned with a grimace.

"Yeah, it is hard to control myself whenever you're around. I keep thinking back to that time in the library when we were sooo close and campus security stopped us from going further."

Dominic laughed as he remembered that incident and it released the thick sexual tension in the air between them. Leaning in for one more kiss before Alex climbed out of the car with her gear bag on her shoulder, D.C. grinned at his guardian goddess and promised her he would wait and let her make the decision to advance their relationship to the almost inevitable conclusion. Alex agreed and turned away from his FTO to head into the house. D.C. kept an eye on Alex until she unlocked and opened the front door before turning around and blowing him a kiss. Watching her close the door, D.C. turned his car around and headed up to the house he and his buddies shared.

Pulling into the driveway, Dominic shut his engine off and wearily climbed out of the car. Grabbing his gear bag from the backseat, he wearily headed inside to take a shower and change clothes. Just inside the door going into the house, Dominic met up with Justin. Seeing what his partner had on, D.C. nodded.

"Good idea to wear some of our Freelancer gear. That should keep things legit. By the way, while I'm taking a shower, give Tommy a call and let him know that we're meeting here first. Oh yeah, Naruto and Hinata will be joining us. We'll meet them somewhere on the way."

"Alright boss, I'll take care of that call for you. I nuked a couple of hot pockets for you since I'm positive you haven't eaten since earlier.", replied Justin as he headed out to the garage to check on his car.

D.C. nodded his thanks and continued his trek to his room. Discarding some of his clothes as he climbed the stairs, D.C. made it to his room and tossed his gear bag into the corner. Going over to his dresser and opening the top drawer he grabbed a pair of boxer briefs before making his way to his bathroom. Turning on the faucet, D.C. waited for the water to reach the right temperature before jumping in to scrub away the sweat from his exertions. Fifteen minutes later, he climbed out and proceeded to dry off before sliding his boxer briefs on and striding out into his room heading for his dresser. Pulling the third drawer open, D.C. looked for his pair of stonewashed black jeans. Finding them and sliding them up his legs, he went looking for a belt and a shirt.

Once he'd acquired those items, D.C. put them on and opened his top drawer again looking for a pair of socks. Finding the pair he wanted he grabbed them and walked over to his closet where he grabbed a pair of size fifteen Piloti driving boots. Taking a seat on his bed, D.C. put the socks on and slipped his feet into his chosen pair of shoes. Since it was getting a bit chilly, he went back to his closet and grabbed his lightweight Freelancers jacket. Checking the pockets, Dominic was surprised to find the string-back driving gloves he'd been missing for a month or so and slid them into his pants pocket opposite his wallet. Now dressed, Dominic headed downstairs to eat his hot pockets and wait for Sean.

Over at the spies' villa; Alex was recovering after getting the shock of her life. Looking back at the circumstances, she realized that she should've been expecting it but she was still surprised.

Alex had finished her shower ten minutes previously and, after drying off and putting on a new pair of panties and a bra, Alex had gone over to Clover's room to borrow her brush. Seeing that the door was closed, she'd knocked and was rewarded with a gruff acknowledgment. Hearing Clover's words, Alex had told her friend she was coming in to borrow her brush and had started to open the door. Reaching in to flip the light switch when she saw the room was dark, Alex waited for the light to come on. When it did she entered the room, took three steps, and halted as a familiar scent filled her nose.

Recognizing the scent for what is was (the redolence of the aftermath of vigorous sexual activities as explained by Seductress), Alex had turned her head to face the bed and nearly had a heart attack as she saw a naked Clover looking at her with wide eyes. Lying next to Clover (and equally naked) was Clover's boyfriend Sean. It took Alex a second to realize what was going on and another second to tumble to the fact that she was nearly naked herself. Needless to say, Alex's reaction was textbook:

Covering her nearly nude form with her hands to the best of her ability, Alex ran out of the room with a look of pure embarrassment on her face and words of apology streaming from her lips (on a privately owned island, three former assassins were laughing uproariously at the tableau as they watched on their monitor).

So here it was, several minutes later a morbid (and fully dressed) Alex sat on the couch listening to Clover (now also fully dressed but with the added touch of the after sex glow) as she read her the riot act. Poor Sam was in the middle trying to get everything under control. It took until the guys pulled up in the driveway to pick up the girls to straighten everything out. As Sam answered the door, she groaned as she saw the smirks on Dominic and Justin's faces as they teased Sean about everything. Fortunately Sean was giving as well as he got and was in fact looking a bit like the cat that ate the canary.

Once everything was straightened out and everyone was ready (they had to wait for Sam to rush upstairs take a quick shower and change her clothes) the three couples headed out. As they pulled out of the villa's driveway they noticed a Toyota Altezza pulling up to the curb in front of the guys' house. Before anyone could disembark from the vehicle, Sean pulled up beside the driver and stuck his head out the window and passed on the info to the driver. The Altezza swung into line behind the other three cars and followed them out of their subdivision. On the highway, the vehicles maintained a steady speed so that they cruised under the radar. Midway to the spot, a bright orange Honda S2000 with the top down pulled up behind the Altezza and the now five car convoy made its sedate way to their destination.

Once at their destination the five cars ended up parked next to a black Mazda Protégé MP3. The driver of the MP3 pointed over to where a large crowd of people and cars were watching another race and letting their enthusiasm show for the favorites. As expected the camps were again divided into those who preferred domestic cars and those who preferred imports. Sean climbed out of his car and talked to the driver of the Protégé before making his way over to where another crowd was waiting. After exchanging a few terse words (Dominic held Sean back to keep him from attacking his challenger), Sean made his way to his car and pulled it around to the line next to a Mustang Cobra where more words were exchanged and money changed hands.

When everything was ready, Sean talked with his friends for a bit before putting on his gloves and climbing into his car. Everyone hushed as the two drivers revved their engines and prepared for the start. Those in the loop knew that this was a grudge match pure and simple. The driver of the Championship White Mustang Cobra had been talking trash about the smoke grey all-wheel drive Audi TT and how he could utterly defeat the new competitor on his turf. Sean had been quiet during all the before race hullabaloo and wasn't about to speak ill of his competitor. He believed that actions spoke louder than words and set out to prove that theory on the blacktop.

The starter stepped out in front of the vehicles, two lit flashlights in her hands. Checking with each driver to make sure they were ready and receiving acknowledgment from both, she raised her hands. The crowd waited with baited breath for the half second it took for the starter to drop her arms and start the race. When her arms came down, both cars took off. Off the line the TT Quattro smoked the Cobra and pulled out to a six car length lead. One of the radio guys communicated that to the others scattered all over the course and requesting the status of the race as they passed by each checkpoint.

It soon became readily apparent that for all of his bluster, the cobra driver could back it up. The checkpoint reporters were passing along the information that it was a close race with the lead switching between the two vehicles just about every other checkpoint. At the last checkpoint, the spotter said that the Cobra had a slight lead but the Quattro was right on his ass. Everyone at the start/finish line turned their attention up the road to catch a glimpse of the dueling headlights. When they became visible, the domestic crowd was in atwitter, their guy was leading. However on the import side, Sean's friends knew that the race wasn't over till the first car crossed the finish line and they were betting that the TT Quattro would be that first car across.

In the end, the bystanders watched as the driver of the Audi made a daring move and cut around the Cobra six lengths from the end of the course and crossed the finish line two lengths ahead of the Cobra much to the delight of the import crowd. That night those who witnessed the race said they'd never seen such a good race before. The many who were there celebrated while those who weren't would wish they had been.

That weekend, Nastasya and the members of DILJO received a hot tip that some of the Tortoises inner circle were going to be in a country friendly to arms dealers so they could have a good time for a bit. Since the criminals in question were already marked for death, Nastasya assigned Ice Dancer to complete the mission. Seductress agreed but with one caveat:

Belladonna was to be Ice Dancers handlers for this hit.

Nastasya agreed and passed the word up the WOOHP Chain of Command to Jerry who approved the mission. While the top level communication between Nastasya and Jerry was going on, Teresa de Aquitaine made a discreet call to the leader of Team Foxfire and passed on the mission information. Of course, the leader of Foxfire had gone straight to his boss and complained about the choice of teams. That argument got out of hand until Nastasya agreed to let Foxfire observe and back up Ice Dancer.

Foxfire Lead agreed to that then headed home to tell his teammates to pack their gear.

* * *

Sam, Alex, and Clover waited patiently in their seats as the Learjet they were aboard landed at the municipal airport in the middle of the city where their targets had made an appearance. All three were conservatively dressed as businesswomen on a jaunt away from their significant others. On the third finger of their left hand, each of the girls sported a respectable diamond ring. Across the cabin of their transport sat the members of Belladonna as they again went over the plan for the elimination of the targets.

"Anemone, Aphrodite, Antigone listen up. I know you're tired of us going over this plan again and again but the continuing repetiveness increases the odds of you surviving this mission. The three of you have already seen pictures of your targets. I hope you studied and memorized them because you will not be taking them with you. An assassin who keeps a picture of his target with him or her during the hit is not a good assassin, remember that. Now I want each of you to go over your part of the plan with us verbally.", stated Seductress as she adjusted her eye patch again.

The trio of spies mentally groaned as they prepared to go over their respective parts for the mission. Sam went first as she described her part to their instructors. The run through lasted until the members of Belladonna were satisfied with the knowledge that their students were as ready as they would ever be. By now the plane had landed and had taxied to the area of the airport reserved for private flights into the country. The three spies followed their instructors down the stairs and got their first impression of their location.

"Damn its hot here!", exclaimed Clover as she tugged on the front of her blouse.

Sam and Alex nodded as they watched as Seductress surrendered her passport to the customs officer for inspection. They missed the cash that passed hands to facilitate their rapid clearance through customs. Once the customs officer gave them the clearance, the three girls followed their instructors to the pair of waiting Mercedes SUV's for the ride to the safe house. As the two luxury vehicles left the airport and mingled with the traffic, the three spies were astounded at how the local drivers basically ignored all safe and sane driving practices as they sped up and down the rough highway. Twenty minutes after arriving, the pair of M-B G500's pulled up next to a guard shack positioned at the end of the safe houses' driveway.

Before their recent weapons training, the girls wouldn't have recognized the Glock pistol holstered on the guard's right side. Nor would they have recognized the Fabrique Nationale FNC covering the vehicles carried by the guards' partner from a short distance away. Upon seeing the way both guards carried themselves, Alex commented on how familiar the weapons were to the two uniformed men. Clover and Sam agreed with their friend's pronouncement and tried to visualize the actions the pair participated in on behalf of WOOHP. Not being able to imagine their thoughts, the three girls shook their heads and returned to their previous actions of looking out the window at the scenery

Minutes passed before the guards were satisfied that papers of everyone in both vehicles were in order and allowed the pair of G500's to entire the grounds of the safe house. Up in the lead vehicle, the members of Belladonna scarcely paid any attention to the grounds of the smallish estate owned by WOOHP through various cutouts and shadow companies while their protégés gazed at their surroundings in awe. Off to the right there was a respectable yard being take care of by a local landscaping company. In the distance the spies could see a small private lake where a pair of jet skis sped across the mirror-like surface. As the SUV carrying the girls pulled up the circular driveway and parked in the shade of the covered portico, the spies were able to make out the disguised state of the art antennas off in a subtly isolated spot and guessed that a full digital and satellite communications network complete with dish were hidden nearby. Before they could comment on it, a previously unnoticed radio squawked and the trio heard Seductress as she told them that it was clear for them to climb out of their vehicle.

"Sorry about making you wait. We have to be ever alert while we're staying here. Occasionally, enemies unrelated to our business here have attacked this estancia for one reason or another. Our friends have been able to repulse the attacks but a couple of them were close. You probably can't see it with just a glance but in addition to the obvious guards out front we have multiple defenses hidden on the grounds. We should be safe for the short time we'll be here but in case of an attack, I'll show you where the armory is. Plus I'll point out the locations of hidden stockpiles of weapons and ammunition so you'll know where they are. First and foremost thought, our mission is to eliminate our targets. Now let's go inside and relax. There's an Olympic size pool in the back along with a few cabanas where we'll be staying. You could walk over to the stables and go horseback riding if you want. Dinner is in a few hours and after that, we'll go and check out the sites. I want the three of you to see your locations and get a feel for the area. See you at dinner, ladies.", Seductress said before going inside with her luggage.

Alex, Clover, and Sam watched as the other two members of Belladonna followed their leader into the house before entering the place themselves. As they entered they looked at their surroundings and felt the familiar mission excitement start to come over them. Although they were veterans of thousands of missions before now, this was their first mission where the three of them would be going directly against enemies of WOOHP. The actions of the three over the next two days could have a lasting effect on events in the world. Clover turned to her friends with a big grin on her face and asked a question.

"Are you girls ready for this? If our mission succeeds here, our careers with WOOHP will take off."

Sam and Alex glanced at each other before looking back at Clover. They were ready to do everything they could to make the world safer. In the back of Alex's mind, she wondered if she could take a life and not be affected by it. Alex also worried what her boyfriend would think if he knew she'd killed a person. Then she chuckled to herself and reasoned that since he didn't know she was a spy, Dominic had no need to ever know there was blood on her hands.

_**"Since WOOHP is a top secret organization, Dominic will never know what I've had to do to keep the world safe. At the end of the day, I can count on him to dismiss my nightmares about what I will have done.", **__mused Alex as she followed her two friends to the backyard._

Unknown to Alex, both Clover and Sam were having similar trains of thoughts. It was three slightly troubled young women who entered the cabana set aside for their use. From their location by the plate glass window of their cabana, the members of Belladonna saw the looks on their protégé's faces and knew exactly what or to be more precise, who they were thinking about. Temptress turned to Seductress with a frown on her face.

"Those girls look so innocent; I don't want to burst their bubble about the lives of their boyfriends. When they find out, they're going to be devastated. I hope that both J-Dawg and Trigger Zero have people to talk to them when they return home. Once they find out the identities of Foxfire, this mission is going to become extremely hard for them. Especially when they see that their guys don't react openly to the quiet and covert taking of life they do."

"Carmine, you don't know D.C., J.T., and Sean like I do. When they undertake a mission and complete it, they may look casual about it but underneath the sunny personalities, those boys feel every death at their hands deeply. They don't like to kill but they do it because they know that they are protecting the innocent and doing a job others can't do. Snowcat trained them well and instilled an unbreakable code of ethics within those boys. I've observed them on missions before without their knowledge and watching Foxfire is like watching Snowcat reincarnated. Those three boys are growing into strong men right in front of our eyes and we're privileged to see it. Now all we have to do is train those girls so they can keep up with their loved ones. That is all we can do.", replied Teresa without facing her friend.

Behind her friends, Isis Tabitha Arsenault saw the reflection of Teresa's face and guessed that she was watching her student, Anemone. As she watched the three younger women, Siren saw Anemone stop and cast a look in their direction. Siren knew that the window was tinted so that those outside couldn't see in the cabana but it still caused her to stiffen a bit. Siren started to shift her attention to other matters but couldn't resist looking back at the reflection of Seductress in the window and although later that night she wasn't sure, Siren thought she saw a lone tear of pride trickle down Seductress' face from her remaining eye.

A few hours later, the women of Ice Dancer and Belladonna entered the secured basement and gathered around the lone table in the middle of the room. Spread out on the table was the equipment indigenous to the operation. Hands free communications units, maps with separate escape routes, a selection of razor sharp fingernail files, small caliber arms for protection and assassination, etc. In short everything they could possibly need were scattered around the table. Seductress waved the girls to take a seat and indicated that they could inspect the weapons and pick the ones they planned to carry with them that night for the dry run. Since her part in the mission was different from the parts her two friends would play, Alex asked of the location of her primary weapon. Seductress answered.

"Anemone, the weapon you are to use is secreted in another location. We couldn't bring it here because of security concerns. It will be ready when the time comes."

"I understand. I'll be prepared for it.", replied Alex as she took her seat.

Looking around the table at her friends and her charges, Seductress gathered her thoughts. Now was the time to tell Ice Dancer about the change to their back-up. When she was ready to speak, Seductress cleared her throat.

"Ice Dancer, earlier today there was a change made in the choice for your back-up. Since I and my team are out of practice, in her infinite wisdom, the boss decided that it would be better if Foxfire were your back ups instead of us. Siren, Temptress and I have been relegated to observing you and confirming your success. Before you start complaining, everything else is the same. Tonight we will be accompanying the three of you to the club frequented by Aphrodite's target for our run through. If we see your target tonight, Aphrodite, we are not going to take action. You'll just observe his actions and how he interacts with the others in the club. There is also the possibility that Foxfire may be in attendance tonight but since the three of you don't know the identities of the team, their cover should be safe. Any questions?"

Alex raised a hand as she heard Sam and Clover mutter about the sudden change. When her trainer called on her, Alex asked her question.

"If Foxfire Team is to be our back up, why aren't they staying here with us? Wouldn't it be better for them to be able to go over our plan? Is Foxfire even in country?"

"Good question, Anemone. To answer the first part of the question, yes it would be better if they were actually physically present at this location to go over the plan. However, it could also blow their cover if they were spotted coming here. Some of our enemies already suspect this is a WOOHP safe house and do occasionally keep surveillance on this estate. Some probably have already recognized my team and are wondering about the three of you. Back during our active years, Belladonna had several missions that brought us here and those who survived our actions are justifiably nervous about our arrival. To answer the second part of your question, Foxfire flew in three hours ahead of us on a commercial flight and the three of them are presently billeted in one of the major hotels downtown. For now the three of you are not to know about their location. When time comes for you to carry out your missions, that is when you'll be given the name of their hotel and the number to Foxfire leads room in case things go wrong and you can't come back here. Is that understood ladies?"

Alex and her friends nodded their understanding and Seductress got down to the brass tacks and made them run through their mission again. However, in the back of her mind, she wondered what the three members of Foxfire were doing at that very moment. Unknown to her at this present time, Foxfire had just received a tip about an unrelated target that had unexpectedly shown up in country.

* * *

Dominic glanced at the screen of their laptop again as if trying to banish the file and picture that had popped up when they set up their travel network and logged on to the secured DILJO website.

"Aww shit! That throws a monkey wrench into our plans for the evening. This mark just had to show up and ruin everything for us! What had promised to be a strike at the three members of Tortoises' organization just got that much harder. Now we have to take him out as well as back up Ice Dancer for their hits. That more than triples our exposure here and the guys in Tortoises' organization ain't complete fools. If they even catch a whiff of our presence here, they'll pull the fade job and we'll miss the chance to thin the herd. _Dammit, dammit, dammit, damnitalltohell_!", D.C. snapped as he paced their suite of rooms angrily.

Sean and J.T. agreed with their friends' assessment. This was not good. Clasping his arms over his chest and tilting his head into his chest, J.T. tried to come up with a way they could mitigate this disaster in the making. Looking at Sean, Justin could see the weapons they had bought from a local arms dealer as well as the handguns they'd smuggled into the country spread out across the table. At the far end sat the rifle set up for Anemone's use on Sunday. Hearing an explosive sigh, Justin jerked his head around as Dominic threw himself into the chair in the foyer of their suite.

"Somebody has to call Seductress and let her know of this wrinkle and we know that WOOHP won't do it so as not to compromise security. We can't make the call from the phone in our room or our cell phones either. One of us will have to go and use a payphone to pass the word on.", commented Sean.

"Sean, don't tell us the obvious! We know what we have to do. I don't want whoever makes the call to be unprotected though; they're those here who'd kill us for such a thing. I also know that since we need J.T. on the laptop, one of us has to make the call. Fuck, this sucks! I don't want to blow the cover of the safe house and I don't want to let that asshole get away.", growled D.C. from his seat.

"Look, the quicker we decide who gets in touch with Seductress, the quicker we can formulate a plan to off this guy and get back to our original mission. While you guys are out, I'll query the boss and see if she can get Intel to send us a more detailed packet on our guy so we can plan his elimination. If all possible, I want to keep the weapons Ice Dancer is going to use sanitized until they make the hit. That way the officials can't tie the murders together. Let's hope that once we take out this prick, we can dispose of his body where it won't be found until after the other hits have gone down.", stated J.T. as he indicated the photo on the monitor of their present pimple on the abscess.

Sean and D.C. nodded and grabbed their jackets from where they'd tossed them when they'd arrived. D.C. retrieved the keys to their rented Porsche 996 while Sean picked up two of the 9mm pistols on the table and passed one along with two extra magazines over to D.C. His friend checked to see if his pistol was loaded and a round chambered before slipping the compact piece into the rig under his left arm. Sliding the two extra clips into the carrier on the opposite side to balance everything out, Dominic slid his arms into the sleeves of his leather jacket. Once he was sure everything was snug and the bulges under his arms weren't visible, D.C. glanced at Sean and saw that he was ready before heading towards the door to their suite. Before he could take more than a couple of steps, he heard J.T. call out to Sean. Out of the corner of his eye, Dominic saw Justin point to a gym bag sitting on the counter and indicated that Sean should take it.

"Two fully loaded Steyr's inside, with four extra mags apiece. Just in case of ambush while you're on the phone. Make the call and get back here. We still have to be ready to watch Ice Dancer's back when they do their run through.", commented Justin as his friends made their way out of the room.

"You got it. Keep our other rentals under wraps. I don't want to burn them now. We're using the Aston Martin tonight and the Caddy tomorrow night. The truck won't be used until Sunday afternoon. If everything goes well, we'll be able to return them to their respective dealers and the nobody will tumble to the fact that they were used.", replied D.C. with a shrug.

Sean nodded and the two young men left their suite. Once they were gone, J.T. grabbed one of the Beretta 93R's on the table and loaded it in case somebody with ill intent came a knocking.

A few minutes later in another part of the city, a brown 996 pulled up to a gas station to fill up. While Dominic filled the car up, Sean walked over to the decrepit pay phone and made the call. When the call went through, he passed on the new information on to person who answered and hung up. Returning to the vehicle, Sean climbed in and waited with one hand inside the open bag carrying their Steyr's prepped and ready for immediate action. Dominic finished filling up the rental and climbed in to the driver's seat before firing up the engine. Shifting gears, he pulled off and headed back towards their hotel in a roundabout way. Both men knew that Seductress wasn't going to be happy about the new wrinkle in their well-laid plans.

They were right. At the safe house where Seductress was going through the different means of escape, she was interrupted and passed control of the strategy meeting over to Siren. Leaving the basement, Teresa made her way into the kitchen. Receiving the message, the one-eyed assassin went into a quiet rage and ordered one of the caretakers to bring her laptop into the secure room so she could contact the members of Foxfire directly. Reentering the room, Seductress let Siren continue the meeting and dropped into her seat with a pronounced glare on her face. When the laptop was brought in and connected, she stopped the meeting and directed everyone's attention to the computer.

"Alright ladies, listen up. I just got some bad news from Foxfire. A target unrelated to our mission has popped up on WOOHP's radar in our neck of the woods and the boss wants the mark taking an eternal dirt nap. Foxfire is scrambling to come up with a plan so to take care of that particular thorn in our side so that our operation isn't uncovered. I'm about to initiate VOIP contact so they can give us a rundown. Ah, here they are now.", stated Seductress as she sat down in front of the screen and focused the built-in webcam on her person.

The three spies leaned in to see the screen for their first glimpse of the mysterious team they were going to be working with on this continuous mission. They weren't surprised when the image that popped up was blurred so security wasn't compromised. Nor were they surprised when the voice that came over the line was filtered to remain anonymous.

"Belladonna Team, are you connected?"

"Yeah, Foxfire, we're connected. We have Ice Dancer here with us so they're kept in the loop. I just received your message and am current on the thorn in our side. Can you send me the file on the mark?"

"It's on its way over to you as we speak. The home office just faxed us the extra stuff and we're throwing a plan together to take the target out tonight and hope it doesn't compromise your operation."

Seductress nodded and indicated that the figure on the other end of the line should continue. The shadow figure complied and quickly explained the plan they were working on. The fax machine hummed and spit out several sheets of paper containing the information Seductress had requested. It wasn't much but from what she could see when Siren passed the sheets to her, the target had a weakness they could exploit. She mentioned that to the member of Foxfire on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, we saw that as well and we want to take advantage of it however we can't get the right stuff without compromising ourselves. You know how the cops keep an eye on such things around here. If we dug into our stash and bought the stuff, we might as well have a neon sign flashing over our heads that Ice Dancer's targets can _not _ignore."

Tapping a well-manicured finger against her lip, Seductress came up with an idea.

"You don't worry about that. I'll take care of purchasing the necessary items. Where do you want to do the exchange?"

There was a muted conversation on the other end of the line before the voice came back.

"Since you and Belladonna are known to the underworld here, have one of the members of Ice Dancer bring it by our hotel and leave it at the concierge's counter. Tip him well and send us a message letting us know the items are here. Once she's taken care of that, have her vacate the premises as fast as she can without drawing attention to herself. She should make up some sort of story as to why she is leaving the package. Foxfire Lead will be waiting in the vicinity and once Ice Dancer departs, he'll pick up the package. No matter what happens we're gonna take care of this problem tonight. It'll probably be after the run through though so as not to compromise anything else."

"I understand, quick question; mind if we observe your actions from a safe distance to confirm the status of your target?", asked Seductress.

More muttering from Foxfire on the other end of the line, slightly louder than before.

"Foxfire Lead is against it but we convinced him otherwise. We'll pass the information to you later tonight. As well as the information where Ice Dancer can retrieve the weapons they're going to use."

"Alright, we'll see you tonight."

"No you won't but we understand the sentiment. Foxfire out."

"Belladonna out.", replied Seductress as the link was broken.

Temptress checked her watch and held up five fingers (indicating the duration of the call) for Seductress to see. Seductress nodded. Hopefully the communications were short enough that if anyone was listening they wouldn't be able to triangulate the positions of those in the conversation. Checking her watch to check the time, Seductress finished up the meeting and told the girls to go and get ready for their night on the town.

A couple of hours later, the six women were seated inside the club one of their targets frequented when he was in country. Alex and her friends had already received a quiet admonishment from their instructors when the trio ordered their drinks. The ladies of Belladonna had given them the gimlet eye before changing the order to something more appropriate for the image the teenagers were trying to portray. At the present moment, Alex was slowly stirring her rum and coke with the little cocktail straw provided while across from her Clover drank a little from her Long Island Iced Tea. Next to Clover, Sam was finishing her apple martini and looked ready to order a second.

Alex sighed and glanced around the room. Seductress was on the dance floor with some guy she'd met at the bar. The older assassin had told her three charges to have fun and just enjoy themselves. Next to Alex, Siren heard the sigh and turned to the younger woman with a curious look on her face. Ever since they'd entered the club, Anemone hadn't been her usual self. She'd become withdrawn and most antagonistic. Putting her beer bottle down on the table with the intention of straightening the young girl out, Siren was interrupted when Temptress cleared her throat. Turning to her teammate to ask her what was her problem; Siren clamped her mouth down on her angry protest when she caught the eyes of Temptress.

"Cool it, the target's here. He just entered the building. Casually look towards the bar. He's wearing a dark grey suit. It looks expensive but I can't tell if it's wool or silk from here.", Temptress side out the side of her mouth as she lifted her glass to her mouth.

The three spies at the table came alive with Temptress' announcement and the members of Ice Dancer leaned forward and started looking for the target. When they caught sight of the man, Siren and Temptress could see the intense scrutiny their charges put the man under. To their credit they weren't too obvious about their interest in the lone man. Temptress wondered if Ice Dancer spotted the pair of bodyguards shadowing the target. She was about to mention it when Antigone piped up and mentioned them to her friends.

"Okay, the target has a couple of shadows behind him; looks as if he's being careful about his protection for his night out on the town. The shadows are trying to act as if they aren't what they are but they ain't very good at it. One has on a pair of pleated slacks with a dark shirt. Ughh, he's got it open and showing his chest hair, that's just gross! At least the other guy has more sense. He's wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a vest. Both bodyguards are walking just behind the main target trying to act casual.", quoted Antigone as she got the attention of the micro-skirt and fishnet shirt wearing waitress.

Alex spotted the three men in question and watched the three men as the main target strolled around the club with his two tails. It became readily apparent that he was a regular when he waved to a few of the bartenders as well as the four men watching the door that led into a back room. When the target finally sat down, he was immediately joined by several of the scantily clad waitresses who giggled and laughed at what he was saying. His two-not as invisible as they thought-bodyguards sat down at a pair of tables a short distance away from their primary but still close enough to protect him if he was attacked. Turning to face the dance floor and crossing her legs as she did so, Alex saw that the arrival of the mark hadn't gone unnoticed by Seductress. The smile she was giving her dance partner wasn't reaching her eyes and she had moved so that she could keep an eye on the target while still dancing.

Returning her attention to the other occupants of the almost filled to capacity club as she raised her glass to her lipstick-covered lips, Alex froze in mid-move as she saw a familiar mop of closely cropped brown hair making its way through the crowd. Slamming her glass on the table-much to the surprise of the others- Alex hurriedly got up from her seat and started towards a point that intersected the line of travel of the suspiciously familiar brown hair.

_**"If that is my boyfriend, then what the hell is he doing here? His appearance can screw this whole operation up!", **__fumed Alex mentally as she pushed through the crowd. _

As she stepped onto the dance floor, Alex lost sight of her target for a second. She reacquired it a few moments later when she stopped moving and looked around. The mop of hair had changed direction and was heading towards the bar. Just as she was about to move in that direction, two more familiar looking heads of hair caught her attention. A low cut mop of blond was standing next to the stage to her right while a heavily moussed bush of usually wavy brown hair lounged at the end of the bar chatting with one of the more attractive waitresses who wasn't a part of the target's giggling fan club. Stopping to ponder if she was really seeing what she thought she saw, Alex was surprised when somebody grabbed her arm. Reacting as she had been trained, Alex whirled with a cocked fist prepared to strike her assailant but stopped as she registered the firm grip of her instructor. Turning around, Alex saw that Seductress was addressing her dance partner of a few minutes previous.

"….I'm sorry for interrupting our dance before the deejay played a slow song, but I have to get my little sister before she makes an ass out of herself. Catch up with me before I leave and we'll have that dance, okay? Alright, cutie that's a date. See ya in a bit.", came the voice of her instructor.

Alex heard a muffled acknowledgment from the jilted guy and was about to speak when she felt herself being jerked in the direction of the ladies room. Digging the heels of her shoes into the floor, Alex prevented Seductress from dragging her more than a few feet. Placing her hands on her hips when the pressure on her arm released itself, Alex glared at the one-eyed older woman as she turned in her direction.

"What the hell are you doing and how the hell did I become your 'little sister'?", Alex growled at Seductress as the older woman crossed her arms over her bust.

"First off, I don't want to answer any questions out here in public right now. Second, if we're going to discuss your mistake privately and rationally, you need to calm down and _follow me!_.", snapped Seductress in answer to her students' challenging glare.

Alex didn't answer verbally but bobbed her head once in angry agreement and started to follow her 'big sister'. Without a backward look at the table where her friends sat, Alex trailed Seductress to the ladies lavatory and powder room. At their table, Siren and Temptress just shook their heads while Clover and Sam looked on.

"Anemone damn near fucked everything up.", commented Siren.

Confused and concerned, Sam looked at her teacher. The redhead was getting the feeling that something wasn't right. She knew her friend well enough to know that Alex wouldn't go off half-cocked. Even with her previous actions of slamming her glass down and rising out of her seat, Alex wouldn't have done that if without reason. Before she could ask about it though, Sam's teacher told her to pay attention to Clover's target. Gritting her teeth in frustration at what was going on; Sam did as she was told while taking an angry drink of her refreshed martini.

Unlike their two students Antigone and Aphrodite, Isis and Carmine had seen what Anemone had seen. Anemone had seen the leader of Foxfire Team as he walked across the room. The two retired assassins had also seen the other members of Foxfire seconds before Anemone spotted them. Isis had taken a healthy gulp of her beer to cover her reaction while Carmine had grumbled about young agents and their screw-ups under her breath.

"Seductress is going to read the leader of Foxfire Team the riot act when they make contact. And it ain't gonna be pretty.", commented Isis.

`"Yeah, come on let's go, looks like she's finished with Anemone's lecture.", replied Carmine as she finished her drink.

Twenty minutes later, Siren and Temptress watched as their friend and her student reentered the club area proper. The two chuckled as they saw that Anemone's dress and hair were mussed and her eyes were glazed over. Their companion was reapplying lipstick to her lips while checking her efforts out in the compact she carried.

Alex was a bubbling cauldron of hormones as she continued to tug her dress back into position. As she followed behind Seductress, Alex wondered what in the hell had just happened. First, Seductress was giving her a lecture about blowing her own cover or something like that. The next thing she knew, Alex was being sexed up by her instructor. Seductress had suddenly muttered something before dropping her lips on top of Alex's own in a crushing kiss. Alex had tried to fight off her reaction but that fell by the wayside when she felt Seductress' hands gently lift her dress up to her hips and maneuvered them both into one of the stalls in the women's rest room.

For ten minutes, Alex's lips were plundered by the soft full lips of her instructor. At the same time, Seductresses fingers played an anthem on Alex's nether lips alternating between bringing her to the edge of climax and slowly letting her come down from her peak. Alex could only offer up lust-filled groans as she fell into a familiar state. Finally, when Alex could take no more of this sweet torture, Seductress gave Alex the sensual release she'd been striving for during the session of foreplay. As she tumbled over the peak, Alex's legs gave out and it was only the gentle strength of Seductress that kept her on her feet. With a loving grin, the older woman had given Alex a sweet kiss and reminded her student to not repress her sensuality like that.

"Che, clean yourself up il mio piccolo incantevole colomba (_Italian for: my enchanting little dove_). You don't want everyone in the club to know about me ravaging you in the ladies restroom, do you? I believe you'd be a bit embarrassed about that getting around.", teased Seductress as she retook her seat in the booth.

Alex shook herself out of the satisfying lethargy and slipped into the booth opposite her instructor, not worrying about tugging her wrinkled dress back down for modesty. Leaning forward, Alex cast a glare at her instructor; gritting her teeth in frustration as Seductress ordered another drink.

_"Dammit Seductress; why'd you do that? You made me feel like a common harlot with loose morals?", _hissed Alex.

"Because Anemone, you need to loosen up. You almost blew the mission right there by going after whomever you're going after. I am not about to let you screw your team's first mission up. I'd kill you right here in this club to keep you from blowing the mission. The three of you have to learn that when you're observing a target, you can not get distracted by something. What if that had been Foxfire team and they were here closing in on a target of their own? You would've blown their cover and screwed up not one, but two missions. Think before you act dammit! If you don't think before you act, you'll find your sorry ass dead quicker n' shit.", snapped Seductress with a penetrating glare.

Alex swallowed her additional protests and was about to reply when Seductress added an after thought.

"Anemone, you and Antigone are both too uptight for your own good. You two need to get laid. In fact, when we return to Beverly Hills, I want the both of you to make it your business to seduce your boyfriends and carry out that seduction to its set conclusion. Aphrodite can give you pointers if you want her to. She's the only one of your trio who's had the guts to go that far.", growled the older woman in a no nonsense tone of voice.

Alex and Sam were shocked; so shocked that their head instructor would speak of such an important step in their lives in such a blasé manner. The pair was so stunned, that for the remainder of their time in the club they were almost anti-social. Speaking only when spoken to, barely acknowledging their companions; both lost in thought. Sam and Alex were so lost in thought that it took Seductress and Temptress five minutes to get their attention and let them know that they were leaving to observe Foxfire and confirm their hit.

* * *

In the darkened streets of the city, a British Racing Green Aston Martin cruised towards its date with the target of opportunity that had presented itself to the members of Foxfire. A couple of car lengths behind the Aston was a black Range Rover with tinted windows. Seated in the front passenger seat, Alex fidgeted as the weight of the suppressed Knight Armaments Company 6x35mm Personal Defense Weapon sat uncomfortably across her knees. Behind Alex sat Sam with a matching weapon. Both girls had trained extensively on the carbines with their ten-inch barrels heavy with the custom suppressors earlier that day while Clover (who just happened to be a better shot) practiced with her assigned 6.8 SPC caliber AR-15 Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR).

Shifting in her seat, Alex turned to see her blonde friend preparing to open the tinted moonroof so she could get into position. All three girls had night vision devices sitting on the tops of their heads ready to be dropped into place with a quick movement of the hand. Alex sighed as she noticed the nervous sweat glistening from Sam's face. The trio of spies had talked their coming actions over after they'd left the club and each had expressed a concern for what was about to happen. During their discussions, the girls had been relieved when their instructors had left them alone to talk.

"Calm down Sam. Everything's going to be okay. We're the backup; Foxfire is the primary on this hit. If we're lucky we won't have to pull any triggers tonight. I know you're nervous. Hell I'm nervous myself. In all of my time as a spy for WOOHP, I never imagined any of us being asked to take a life like this.", Alex said quietly.

"I know, Alex. I know. It's just that I was raised to believe that murder is a sin. In my eighteen years on this planet, I've always believed that yet I know that to save the innocent, on occasion, the lives of the guilty need to be ended. I also know that given half a chance, those who WOOHP have assassinated are irredeemable and can't be salvaged by a stint in prison. It's just that in twenty-four to forty-eight hours, I'll be a killer. I'll be somebody's executioner and for what reason because they work for an arms dealer whose goods have taken innocent lives and who raped one of our instructors and mutilated the others. I don't understand it and I'll never understand it.", growled the kind-hearted redhead as she gripped her weapon so tight her knuckles turned white.

Alex was about to answer when Temptress cut in. The one-handed former assassin drove the BMW 1 series coupe pulling up behind the Range Rover while Seductress maneuvered the big sport utility vehicle into position.

"Antigone, get over it! This is what we do and what we have done. Foxfire's done this several times and they're the same age as you. Be aware and quit bitching. Tomorrow night it'll be yourself and Aphrodite as the primary hitters. Deal with it.", snapped Temptress over the communications headset.

Sitting in the Range Rover's driver's seat, Seductress nodded in agreement as she listened to her teammates lecture. When it was complete, she changed the radio over to the private channel the members of Belladonna were using to converse. It would also connect them to the members of Foxfire if either of them thought breaking radio silence was necessary. Watching as the boys climbed out of the car in front of her hiding their suppressed weapons within the oversized jackets the three of them were wearing, Teresa offered up a little prayer for the safety of her boys.

"Seductress, if things go to shit and Ice Dancer has to pull the trigger tonight do you want give the base a call and have the prepare the after mission medicine?", asked Siren from her position seated next to Temptress in the chase car.

"Yeah, I have a feeling that these girls will need it tonight. We might need to have a therapist on hand as well when we return to base. Though the only ones pulling the trigger tonight is Foxfire, it would be better to have one on hand to talk to the girls. If that fails, we might have to do what we discussed earlier.", replied Seductress with an odd tone in her voice.

Temptress nodded as she caught the hesitation in her friend's voice. Like Siren and Seductress, Temptress knew that to get Ice Dancer to not dwell on their actions the three members of Belladonna might have to bend the rules a bit and reveal to their charges the identity of their mission partners before the appointed time. And like her two teammates, Temptress was strongly against revealing that information because of the possible ramifications of such an action. Feeling a tap on her arm, Carmine shifted her head to her right and saw that her partner was indicating that the guys were casually entering the location where their target was believed to be.

"Foxfire has entered the building. I'm monitoring the police band and so far everything is clean. Everyone keep your eyes peeled. We aren't in the safest of areas out here. Anemone lower your window just enough so you can bring your weapon into play if needed without any problems. Antigone, use your binoculars to scope the building out through the window. You're the observer and will probably be the first to notice if things go wrong. Aphrodite, go ahead and position your weapon. Use the starlight scope as needed. Also, chamber a round and engage the safety. Let's do this the right way and pray that nothing happens during this side mission that requires action on our part. This is Foxfire's show; let's make it as painless as possible. Siren out.", Isis spoke into her headset as she shifted her gaze to her laptop and monitored the airwaves for any report about their operation.

Inside the building in question, D.C. and his teammates were quietly edging their way up the stairs to the designated apartment of their target. Sean was walking point; Justin was six yards behind him while Dominic was tail end Charlie. If the intelligence was correct, the target that had popped up on their scope often times stayed here whenever he was in town.

With Justin walking point, the three assassins made it to the correct floor. Opening the stairway door, J.T. looked out in to the dimly lit hallway. Glancing left and right, Justin used his hands to indicate where he wanted his two teammates to post up. Getting nods of acknowledgment from Dominic and Sean, Justin stepped into the hallway as if he lived there. Affecting a drunken stumble, Justin ambled his way in the direction of the target apartment. In his peripheral vision, the basketball player watched as D.C. took up a position where he could look out the hallway window and keep an eye on everything happening outside. While D.C. was settling in as watchman, Sean was putting his ear against the doors of the other five large apartments on the floor and listening for anything unusual. With nothing but the muted sounds of televisions or sleeping tenants floating through the doors, Sean looked at J.T. and nodded once before taking a seat on the decorative antique bench sitting against the wall in the middle of the hallway.

Seeing the nod, J.T. reached into his pocket for the object secreted there. Pulling it out the eighteen year old assassin inserted the thin end of the lock pick gun into the door lock and pulled the trigger. With a quiet click the lock tumblers released and Justin was able to quietly rotate the doorknob to gain access to the target's apartment. With the muted 'click' the door unlatched and Justin slowly pushed the door open. Alert for any creaking from the door that would alert his target, J.T. eased his way into the lavish living room and gazed around for any sign of their target. Seeing that the room was empty, the assassin closed the door as carefully as he'd opened it. Since this would cut off his line of sight to the main hallway, Justin was now wholly dependent on radio contact with both D.C. and Sean to alert him if anyone came his way.

Clearing the living room with his suppressed pistol leading the way, Justin slowly and efficiently went through the apartment looking for any information that may be of any use to WOOHP. Finding a few sheets of paper, Justin tucked them into his pocket. Moving along, he checked the modern state-of-the art kitchen. Returning his weapon to its holster, Justin used his gloved hands to open the cabinets, drawers, refrigerator, and the oven. Once again seeing nothing of any interest, J.T. contacted his teammates on the radio.

"Nothing to report, J.T., Belladonna is reporting that everything is copasetic from their location. Traffic is very thin and nobody is paying them any attention.", D.C. reported as he continued to watch out the window.

"Hallway is still clear. Nothing's stirring. How are you doing on time?", questioned Sean.

Justin checked his watch and saw that he was a couple of minutes ahead of schedule and reported it. Receiving acknowledgments from his friends, J.T. continued on with his slow and methodical search for information.

Five minutes later, Justin came to the door leading into the master bedroom where the target lay sleeping. During his search for the target, J.T. had quietly checked out the other rooms in the apartment. All had turned out to be empty and Justin was feeling a bit suspicious at why the target didn't have his usual retinue of bodyguards on hand. Even one bodyguard would've made Justin's job much harder but would've made him feel a whole helluva lot better with his infiltration.

Gently placing his hand on the doorknob, Justin eased it open just enough to disengage the latch with a muted sound. Once the door was loose, J.T. slowly opened it up to allow him admittance and slipped inside. Once inside the room, Justin re-closed it as gently as he'd opened it. Standing still for a short moment to allow his eyes to adjust, Justin tapped the 'transmit' button on hic headset in the prearranged pattern that informed his two teammates that he was approaching the target.

Since he was in close proximity to his target, Justin slid his microphone away from his mouth so as not to alert the soon to be deceased that death was danger close. He could still hear the others but he couldn't verbally reply. So far everything was going according to the plan the three had fleshed out in the Aston Martin on their way over.

_**"There is no way in hell this hit is going to be that easy! I'm really not liking this at all, something ain't right here.", **__Justin thought as he stealthily approached the bed as his discomfort grew._

Because he was getting a bad feeling, Justin wasn't surprised when D.C.'s voice came over his earpiece. And it heralded bad news.

"J.T., be alert. Two crew wagons just pulled up and started discharging several flashy guys with nefarious intentions. Sean, get down to the lobby and let me know if they come upstairs. Belladonna, keep us informed as to what they're doing. I want at least a 5 second advantage in reaction time for Foxfire Two if those goons bust out their steel.", ordered Dominic as he watched the men gathering around the two full-sized sedans.

* * *

_Once again, please enjoy this Christmas Present from me. As it was with the new addition for 'Return of the Razgriz' this chapter is not completely finished. I hope this tidbit enthralls you enough to keep the faith that the complete chapters will be up soon. _

_I hope everyone here has ha a Merry Christmas and has gotten god loot. Ta Ta For Now, my friends!_

Knightewolfe

**_Knightewolfe's Den_**

**_25 December 2011_**


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